Liminality and Communitas as new sources of Social Capital in Business

Relationship Dynamics
Dr Annmarie Ryan,
Department of Management and Marketing, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick,
Ireland.
Competitive Paper
Abstract
In this paper I develop a framework for the study of business relationships through the lens of
liminality. This is achieved by discussing the work of Turner in relation to rites and rituals and their
role in society. Those dimensions of the concept of liminality and communitas that are important for
this study therefore include: that it involves interaction outside everyday lived experience; that
liminality is constructed and is neither self-evident or naturally occurring; involves the transformation
re-discovery and re-appropriation of every day spaces, through separation, or divestiture process, and
subsequently (re)incorporated into the everyday through processes of investiture and importantly,
incorporates a shared experience that can impact on relations between those who share the experience
beyond the event itself. The concept of liminality is offered as a way to enable researchers to
understand the interactions between managers in relationships in a new way. The focus of this paper is
therefore threefold: 1/ to expand upon the concept of creating, holding and intensifying liminal space
and 2/consideration of the effect of this on the organisation and 3/ reflection on this on-going entering
into and leaving of liminal space as a way of conceptualising relationship development or dynamics.
1. Introduction
Within the extant literature on inter-organisational relationships is it widely acknowledged that
social relationships are a key enabler to successful relationship development (e.g. Hkansson,
1982; Hutt & Stafford, 2000; Mller & Wilson, 1995). An emerging concern in this field is the
distinction between business and extrabusiness interactions (Cova & Salle, 2000), that is, between
social interaction focused on the enactment of economic exchange and those emerging out of
interpersonal ties (Mainela, 2007). Mainela (2007) draws on Ring and Ven de Vens (1994)
distinction in this regard, which addresses the relationship between qua performa (individuals
enacting their role as representatives of the organisation) and qua performa (individuals acting as
private persons). Ryan and Blois (2010), take a situational approach. Rather than assuming
relations between people are either weak or strong (after Granovetter, 1985), they use Fiskes
(1992) Relational Models theory to distinguish four relational models that vie for dominancy in
the governing of almost all or any social interaction. These are based on deference to authority,
market rationality, reciprocity, or kinship/communal considerations. Strong communal, or
interpersonal ties more generally, are said to have a driving role in the relationship, reducing
distance (Ford, 1980), facilitating information sharing, allowing parties to weather crises that
emerge (Ryan & Blois, 2010) and even allowing the relationship to continue to develop through

dormant periods (Cova & Salle, 2000; Havila & Wilkinson, 2002). However, what is less clear is
the source of strong personal relationships between business people.
The concept of social capital is one way to consider this. The literature on social capital is highly
eclectic in nature. However, one key theme prevails, that is, the concept of who you know, and
specifically the potential for leveraging social contacts for private benefit (Burt, 1992). This view of
leveraging social capital is limited in two important ways. One, it limits much business success to the
quality of the managers, often pre-existing, social circle and two it does not capture the depth and
quality of personal ties that can emerge during the relationship itself.
Ryan and Blois (2010) concept of relationship identification provides a useful alternative. Building
on the concept of identification from organisational psychology (e.g. Hogg & Terry, 2000),
Relationship identification seeks to elaborate on a form of organising and belonging to a business
relationship, which creates sometimes competing demands between the relationship and the
organisation the manager is representing. In this paper identification with the relationship will be
explored as an entering into a liminal space by managers; a space which lies betwixt and between
their everyday organisational responsibilities. Managers sharing this liminal space are said to enjoy
a particular sense of community that allows what may be seen as a disparate group, find a sense of
coherence. This is termed communitas. This paper will examine and elaborate upon the role of
communitas and the creation (and holding) of liminal space between managers in the development of
strong social relations within business relationships. Moreover, the concept of liminal space within
business relationships and the resulting communitas between managers (or initiands in ritual terms)
has the potential to shed new light on our understanding of the complexity of relationship dynamics.
Czarniawska and Mazza (2003) for example discuss how liminality fosters deviation and creativity
whereby initiands can emerge from their liminal state ready to revitalise and renew the community.
Liminality can be said to therefore enable a radical innovation environment, as it can be said to
support experimentation, risk-taking, and failure, and views trial-and-error as a viable process
(Tetenbaum, 1998: 27).
These themes will be explored by way of a single case study where ritual, liminality and communitas
were observed to play an important role in business dynamics. Drawing on data from dyadic
longitudinal interviews (10), site visits and casual conversations with employees of both
organisations, and analysis of a substantial amount of secondary data, (including all documented
correspondence between the two organisations spanning ten years of the relationship) the paper
elaborates on each phase of the liminal experience, the roles of liminar (those who experience
liminality), guide and ally, the efforts involved in equipping, enabling and supporting liminars in
making important transitions and finally the role the relationship as a hist site for these experiences.
The focus of this paper is therefore threefold: 1/ to expand upon the concept of creating, holding and
2

intensifying liminal space and 2/ consideration of the effect of this on the organisation and 3/
reflection on this on-going entering into and leaving of liminal space as a way of conceptualising
relationship development or dynamics.
The paper proceeds as follows: First the concept of liminality is reviewed, including an elaboration of
the processual nature of liminality. The use of liminality in organisational and marketing research is
also discussed. This is followed by a conceptual framework, outlining the roles and material elements
of guiding and experiencing divestiture, liminality and investiture (3 phases of liminal experiences).
The methodology section outlines the case study approach adopted for this study, including details on
data gathered and approach to analysis. The findings section, following a brief overview of the case,
takes a more thematic approach; taking, in turn, the liminal experiences of each organisation in the
relationship. The paper concludes with consideration for implications for research on business
dynamics as well as implications for management in business relationships and the role that liminality
and communitas might play.

2. Liminality in Business Research

The concept of liminality has emerged from anthropology, primarily from the work of Turner (1969)
(add other years here). It was developed initially as a way to describe the experience of liminars
(Turner, 1969) during the initiation process and its effects thereafter. Turner (1977) defines liminality
as the state and process which is betwixt-and-between the normal, day-to-day cultural and social
states and processes of getting and spending, preserving law and order, and registering structural
status (Turner 1977: 33). The meaning of this formulation becomes clear within the context of tribal
rituals, such as rites of passage in which participants are temporarily removed from all that which
constrains them in their day to day lived experience. Throughout the process of participation they are
between distinctions, beyond the limits of ordinary social sanctions, unconcerned with mundane
affairs of everyday life (Rowe, 2008:128). According to Turner, people who find themselves in a
liminal state are "temporarily undefined, beyond the normative social structure. This weakens them,
since they have no rights over others. But it also liberates them from structural obligations" (Turner,
1982:27). The sharing of liminal states can give rise to communitas (Turner, 1982), whereby people,
with various backgrounds, disconnected from their everyday social status will experience a deep
connection, the effect of which may sustain beyond the temporary nature of the experience (Celsi et al
1993; Willett & Deegan, 2001). For Turner, communitas emerges out of shared ritual experience,
where liminars treat each other as equals regardless of any hierarchical differences that existed prior
to the transition (Turner 1967). In communitas there is "full, unmediated communication, even
communion" (Turner, 1992: 58) between the participants. Communal ties have been explored in the
context of business relationships by, for example, Ryan and Blois (2010) and Blois and Ryan (2012)
3

in their discussions of Fiskes Relational Models theory. Here the authors elaborate on the role of
strong communal ties that operate where a group of people have something (usually not a material
thing) in common that makes the members of the group in some sense socially equivalent and also
acts to distinguish members from non-members. However for Fiske (1992) these ties are pre-existing
or occurring due to class, race or religion. What the concept of liminality offers more is a focus on the
sources of communality, and not just effects.
The related concepts of communitas and liminality have already found fruitful ground within
marketing and management research. For example Celsi, Rose, and Leigh (1993), with their study of
consumption practices within the snowboarding community use liminality to describe the extraordinary space created within the snowboarding experience, where class, gender and other social
structuring devices fade into the background. Similarly Arnould and Price (1993) describe the
communitas enjoyed by participants in an outwards bound river rafting experience. What is
interesting about this work, is that unlike much other contemporary work drawing on Turner, Arnould
and Price (1993) pay particular attention to the role of the guide, and describe how, in their terms
extraordinary, or we might say liminal experiences are designed, guided and held by people who
remain outside the ritual experience. In parallel, liminality has gained attention within organisation
studies, including those focused on inter-organisational settings. It has been used to shed light on the
ambiguous positions of temporary employees (Garsten, 1999), consultants (Czarniawska & Mazza
2003) and project teams that cross organisational divides (Tempest & Starkey 2004); working 'betwixt
and between' organisational norms and cultures. Czarniawska & Mazza (2003) describe the liminal
position of consultants working within the client organisation, who never being fully incorporated into
the client organisation remain an outsider. In this position the consultant can be a creative change
agent, but can also experience a kind of limbo state; which can become a source of stress. In contrast
Tempest and Starkey, (2004) express the benefits of the temporary nature of liminal space as offering
"a range of different experiences which can enhance learning and potentially [a] gratifying lack of
over involvement in the complexities of long term life.[in the other/partner organisation]".
Within business relationship research specifically, the 'in-between' quality of business relationships
has enjoyed some attention in the literature. For instance Ellis and Ybena (2010) describe how interorganisational relationships expand social boundaries, and give rise to widening circles of
identification, but that they are also a site of demarcation between 'them and us'. Sturdy et al (2006)
importantly highlight that liminal spaces or times can be strategic or tactical, whereby employees
intentionally incorporate ambiguities to further personal, organisational or relational goals. Cova and
Maltese (2010) explore the ritual nature of business interaction in non-trading situations. Specifically
they suggest that liminal spaces need to be created through ritual and re-imagining of space. However,
it is a more processual view of liminality that remains underexplored in the literature (Beech, 2011).
4

However, according to Beech (2011) what is lacking is a thorough treatment of the processual nature
of liminal experiences (identified by van Geenep, 1909). Instead there has been a focus on the 'inbetween', often perpetual state (Ybema, Beech, & Ellis, 2011) characterised by ambiguity and
interstructurality (Garsten, 1999). What is less understood therefore are the efforts, as well as triggers
(Willett & Deegan, 2001), required to enter into liminality. More rare are discussions of closure or
ending of liminality (Czarniawska and Mazza, 2003). In this paper, these 'in' and 'out' phases will be
explored by drawing attention to two kinds of enabling roles, that is, guide and ally. These agents
have the important role of setting up the conditions for liminal experiences, equipping liminars, and
welcoming or supporting their re-entry back into the organisation. In the framework developed in this
paper the role of guide and ally are conceived as being resident across organisational boundaries. This
in essence captures the relational component of the liminal experiences explored here. That is, from a
liminal perspective, the business relationship becomes an important site for organisational level
liminal experiences. Here managers or guides can enable their employees or organisations to engage
in what we can conceive of as rites of passage; that is, explicit attempts to incorporate change and take
on a new or altered persona or indeed expertise.
Building on earlier work by van Geenep (1909), Turner (1969) distinguishes the processual nature of
liminal experiences by the identification of three distinct phases: separation, transition, and
incorporation. Liminality is conceived as a process, involving separation from the world of the
profane, divestiture from pre-existing social norms, and an inverting of social structures. Following
this the liminar enters a liminal state, itself transitory, finding themselves in ambiguous situations
which emerge out novel encounters at the limits or margins of existing social structure (Tempest,
Starkey, & Ennew, 2007). For the transformation to be complete the liminar must move beyond the
liminal, which involves investiture back into 'normal' life. This is a process of transformation
however, and both the liminar and the 'community' of which they are a part are likely to be changed as
a result of the experience. In traditional societies or rites, liminars will be guided through this process,
by an elder or some other authority. The duties of the elder, or holder of ritual space will include
efforts to transform everyday spaces into ritual spaces, for example we might consider the use of
candles or incense in religious spaces. In short liminal spaces need to be created, which takes careful
planning and the engagement in often quite mundane activities (Van Heerden, 2009); e.g. meetings,
designing costumes, preparing music, learning the dance). The focus of this paper is therefore
threefold: 1/ to expand upon the concept of creating, holding and intensifying liminal space and 2/
reflect on the generation of communitas amongst those who share liminal experiences and 3/ consider
the effect of this on the organisation and relationship.

3. Conceptual Framework
5

Those dimensions of the concept of communitas that are important for this study therefore include 1/
interaction outside everyday lived experience, 2/ a sense of equality where secular distinctions of
rank and status disappear or are homogenised (Turner 1969:95); 3/ that is constructed and is neither
self-evident or naturally occurring (Van Heerden, 2009), therefore requiring a guide or enabler 4/
involves the transformation re-discovery and re-appropriation of every day spaces, through separation,
or divestiture process, and subsequently (re)incorporated into the everyday through processes of
investiture, 5/ incorporates a shared experience that can impact on relations between those who share
the experience beyond the event itself; where the immediacy of communitas gives way to the
mediacy of structure, while in rites of passage, men are released from structure into communitas only
to return to structure revitalised by their experience of communitas (Turner, 1969:129). The
conceptual framework for this paper is presented below. It is separated, vertically, into the three
component phases required for 'complete' liminal experience (see Beech, 2011), that is, separation
(divestiture), transition (liminality) and incorporation (investiture).
Role of Ally

Create conditions for

Equip liminars (skills,

liminal experience

resources)

unpack or takedown liminal spaces

Equip/create liminal
spaces
Role of Guide

Enable liminars

Support liminars

Create opportunities to

Legitimise activities in

alter taken for granted

the org setting

Welcome changed
liminars back into the
organisation

norms
Liminar

Separation (divestiture)

Liminars use of

Leave everyday space,

space

enter new space (or re-

Transition

Incorporation

(liminality)

(investiture)

Experience new space

Return to everyday
space

imagined/re-appropriated
space)
Liminars use of

Leave normal time

Enter here and now

time
Manifest change

Return to normal
time

Enter into new ways of

Embody new ways of

Enact new ways of

working

working

working

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework: Roles and activities required for complete liminal experience
6

Along the horizontal axis we consider the different roles in liminal experiences (liminars, guides and
allies) and below this are the particular organisational elements implicated in liminal experience
(space, time). The experience of re-appropriated or re-imagined time and space are necessary
conditions for liminal experiences. Normal every day spaces become liminal spaces when they go
through a process of ritualised transformation. For example, witness how street theatre artists can
transform an everyday thoroughfare into a theatrical space, where magic can happen. In our study
we will consider the different liminal spaces where communitas is formed and reproduced. Moreover,
we will consider what enables these spaces to become liminal, as well as the effects in situations
outside of the liminal. Through a study of the efforts that go into this, as well as the experience of
these provide insight into the ritual nature of business interaction (Cova & Maltese, 2010). Finally we
consider the organisational and relational effects, by way of the concepts of learning and change. It
will be important to track the organisational changes emerging out of an exploration of liminal space,
as well as the on-going effect on the relationship. This will achieved through an analysis of a single
case study.

3. Methodology
The research design for this study is a single longitudinal case study approach (Easton, 2000). Casestudy research has been most commonly used in organizational research as a method for theory
development (Yin, 2003). However, the argument that case studies, due to their observational
richness, can be used in theory advancement and refinement (Dubois & Araujo, 2007), is gaining
increasing attention. The empirical evidence presented here relates to a sponsorship relationship
between a multinational telecommunications organization with a subsidiary facility in the west of
Ireland (hereafter referred to as Telco) and a local arts organization who run a multidisciplinary
annual arts festival (hereafter referred to as ArtOrg). The work is exploratory in nature; it is an
exploration of ritual, liminality and communitas in a business relationship setting. This includes an
exploration of nature of liminality and communitas in this context as well as an exploration into the
potential for these concepts to shed light on relationship dynamics.
In this paper we are taking a processual view on liminality. This has implications for method. The
assumption behind processual thinking is that social reality is not steady state. According to Pettigrew
(1997: 338) social reality "it is a dynamic process. It occurs rather than merely exists. Human
conduct is perpetually in a process of becoming". Processual case study research is therefore the
appropriate methodological approach for this work. Processual case research, as a research design,
has been developed by a number of authors within the management literature, namely Van de Ven
(1987, 1990, 1995) and Pettigrew (1997). While the search for single causes refers back to a
variance theory paradigm, Pettigrew (1997) suggests we are now attempting to theorise about
7

constellations of forces shaping the character of the process (context) and its outcomes.
Context refers not only to the stimulus environment, but also to a nested arrangement of
structures and processes where the subjective interpretations of actors, perceiving, learning and
remembering, help shape process (Pettigrew 1997: 338).
The study was longitudinal in nature, with data gathered pertaining to 10 years of interaction between
the two organisations. The nature of access to data during the research offered the researcher the
opportunity to engage in historical and real-time analysis (Halinen & Trnroos, 1995). Real time data
collection included two rounds of in-depth interviews (10 in total) with the Financial Controller and
the Marketing Manager at Telco as well as the General Manager and Artistic Director of ArtOrg. The
focus on these managers is significant to our study, as they represent the roles of guide and ally. The
interviews lasted between one and two hours each, and were recorded and transcribed in full. Part of
the data collection involved spending a number of days at the ArtOrg offices, informally talking with
people with regard to the festival, reading through documentary data, and conducting interviews. The
focus of the interviews was the on-going relationship between the two organisations. It was during the
research that the concept of liminality and communitas emerged as important. While the interviews
were not specifically conducted about liminality, they were conducted in such a way as to enable
analysis of the data from that perspective. This is because the interviews were semi-structured in
nature, where the respondents were encouraged to narrate events (Alvesson & Skoldberg, 2000)and
incidences pertaining to the relationship between them, their organisation and the relationship.
Importantly this research also included a high level of desk research, which involved collecting and
collating documentary evidence (Bowen, 2009) including annual sponsorship proposals from ArtOrg
to Telco; annual joint submission to the Business Sponsors of the Year Award from; numerous press
cuttings kept on file by the Festival; a number of internal memos, reports and notes kept on file by
ArtOrg. This research included the analysis of over 150 individual items of correspondence between
the two organizations and other 3rd parties. Analysis of this correspondence played a vital role in this
study as it acted as observational data where the day-to-day interactions were recorded. Key events
were examined from the documentary evidence as well as from interview material in a process of
triangulation (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000).
The conceptual framework presented in section three guided the analysis and the catagorisation of
data through coding. The focus of the analysis was the tracing of people, spaces and things to
understand their role in the emergence of liminality in the business relationship setting. As part of the
case analysis a 20,000 word case history was written up. At the end of the empirical data collection
phase, the case was shared with interviewees from both organizations and acknowledged to be a fair
and recognisable account of events.

4. The Case Study

This research used a case study approach in its design; however, for the presentation of the data a
more thematic approach will be adopted. The detail of the emergence of the relationship, and
specifically what was exchanged, how much and how this was valued is presented in a detailed table
offered in appendix 1. The reason for this is that while the chronological emergence of the
relationship is important, our interest here is in the setting up and holding of liminal times and spaces.
This does not require a 'whole' account of the relationship over the 10 years to be examined. What is
required is a more thematic and analytical account of the liminal aspects of the relationship. As
background material, table one below offers an overview of both organisations, and the initial focus of
the relationship.
ArtOrg

TelCo

General description

non-profit
organisation
established 1977

multinational
telecoms
company established in 1973

Focus of organisation

running of multi-disciplinary
arts festival

Telephony,
web-hosting,
broadband,
multimedia
communication
servers,
optical and wireless networks.

Number of employees (at

time of research)

3 full time staff, growing to at

least 10 at time of festival,
plus 100's of volunteers

(tbc)

Initial focus of relationship

access to private source of

funding

part
of
community
involvement
programme,
focus on employee wellbeing

Table 1: overview of organisations in the dyad

5. Analysis
The relationship between Telco and Artorg emerged over a 20 year period. However, a significant
change was triggered by an increase in Telco's financial investment when they formally became
sponsors of the festival in the early 1990's. For Telco the opportunity for staff development arising out
their relationship with the festival was central in the creation and usage of the liminal space between
both organisations in the relationship. As the Financial Controller outlined, We [Telco] want to
create an atmosphere that respects the diversity of the person and their link with their home life, not
just a salary, its the whole package. Particular elements of their relationship can be seen as
facilitating the creation of liminal spaces. For example, from the first year, Telco was given a ticket
allocation and thus participated as part of the audience as well as sponsor. Additionally, senior
management at Telco encouraged employees to volunteer at events, creating opportunities for
9

interaction at several levels. For Artorg the relationship became an opportunity for learning and
change, entering into the world of business, and bringing insights back into their organisation. Part of
this were a number of in-kind supports from Telco that came in the form of financial advice including
how to computerise accounts, manage cash flow, project budgets and write funding applications. In
the following analysis then, the aim is to identify the liminal, as experienced by each organisation (in
turn) within the relational setting. We will begin with a description of the liminal experiences of Telco
employees, how these were guided, the role of the arts organisation as an ally to the experience, what
it took to achieve this (in terms of time and space) and the effect on a) their organisation and b) on the
relationship. This will then be repeated in a description of the liminal experiences of Artorg
employees.
5.1 Liminality as experienced in Telco
The analysis of the case material provides evidence that Telco had a clear goal for their staff to use
their relationship with the festival, and all that that offered, as a mechanism to learn, change or grow
as a person and that this was part of a wider organisational culture.
we would recognise you cant isolate the person from the environment, or the
community. If you have problems at home or if there are problems in the community,
it all effects things. We want to create an atmosphere that respects the diversity of the
person and their link with their home life, not just a salary its the whole
package[relationship with the arts festival] takes the cap of their logic and [helps
them to] look at things differently, [thats] especially important for engineers, or
those who have a technical bent. (Liam, financial controller, Telco)
a) Separation - Divestiture
The experience of liminality must be preceded by a process of separation (divestiture) from the
everyday routine of, in this case, work and the occupation of new or re-imagined spaces and that this
needs to be enabled. In particular the financial controller, who we can identify as an ally in the
creation of liminal space, enabled the liminars, by providing organisational legitimacy for their
involvement and creating opportunities for different kinds of involvement.
He [Liam] wanted to get the staff involved, because he wanted the staff to be
improved by the festival, wanted them involved in stewarding, involved in helping out
with finance with shipping and freight, involved in able to buy tickets within the plant.
They wanted their stewards to have Telco branded t-shirts, he wanted the Telco sports
and social club to organise events to coincide with festival so staff from outside the
city would come to Galway for meetings by day and at night go to shows as an
individual or as a group. He wanted as many different dimensions to the sponsorship
to be facilitated and considered when possible. (Fergal, Artorg General Manager)

10

The running of a box office at the Telco plant acted as a kind of preparation, enabling employees to
embark on their liminal state before the festival began.
there [was] a buzz around about the place, there would be a box office on site, and
we would be pushing the shows, sometimes artists come in a perform on site in the
restaurant or in the courtyard, and that generates adrenalin.
Donning a 'festival steward' t-shirt, leaving your desk to go to the festival offices for a committee
meeting, bringing your family to a festival performance held in the Telco factory floor, are all
examples of divestiture and the leaving of the everyday and entering into liminal space. While the ally
enables this, the guide has the important role in ensuring that those activities are available to the
liminar. This role was played by Artorg employees. They created the conditions for liminal
experience by equipping liminars with the necessary skills (e.g. to steward events), gear (e.g. t-shirts,
walkie talkies) and spaces (e.g. giving over their office space for festival committee meetings). Not all
aspects of liminal space facilitation were as simple as others. For example in the co-ordination of
stewards was a contentious issue.
b) Transition - Liminality
The equipping of liminars is a necessary condition for the experience of liminality. We have also
described that spaces become re-imagined and therefore re-used in liminal experiences. The following
quote aims to demonstrate the richness of theatrical experiences presented as part of the festival, how
the festival re-imagined spaces and created magical and memorable experiences. The meanings
associated with spaces in the city were altered during the liminal festival time thereby altering their
usage (van Heerden, 2009).
one was a show called the history of France, it was a free show, there was a big
story book, where the actors popped out of the book, like a childs pop-up book, went
through the whole history of France from the Crusades to the 1st world war it was a
great show it was out at the back of the cathedral, a free show. (Liam, Financial
Controller, Telco)
Important for our study is the transformation and re-appropriation of Telcos work/production spaces
to become part of the festival.
[Dave, Telo PR manager] one great thing was last year in the Summer, we brought
the Irish Tenor for a performance in the warehouse. It was a great event, because it
employees, and the families and friends and there was as few local press people there
and the buzz was superb, I mean this was a working environment and all of a sudden
you had the 3 tenors there.
[Liam, Financial controller Telco]The acoustics were brilliant

11

Again the role played in staging these events, and supporting the re-use of the Telco factory are key in
enabling these experiences. Even where events took place outside of the plant, employees were
actively involved, both as audience and as stewards. The steward role is important as it marks an
active involvement in the event; making Telco staff unofficial (voluntary and temporary) staff of the
festival (the festival had a high number of volunteers every year). This deepens the liminality of
employee's experience with the festival, where for a short period of time their work identity becomes
blurred as they take on the identity of crew for the festival. This was enabled through the handing
out of branded t-shirts for them to wear, the creation of a Telco staff entrance at events, handing out of
free tickets, and priority bookings for Telco employees.
The experiences of Telco employees was being designed and guided by the festival committee, which
was made up of staff from Telco and ArtOrg. This committee was a creative space where ideas and
future possibilities were discussed and developed. The committee met all year round and dealt with
issues as they arose, such as financial difficulties that ArtOrg faced, new ideas regarding
computerisation of the festival booking system etc. Some members of the committee went on to join
festival funding brain storming sessions which Artorg ran, and also sat on the festival's finance
committee (we will return to this later). This committee can be viewed as a liminal space from the
point of view of Telco staff, exemplified by the Artorg artistic director's comment, the that Telco staff
were like our own staff then just all together mucking in . What is important to note here is that
for Artorg this committee, held on their premises, was very much an everyday activity, similar to
other activities in the designing and running of the festival. For those Telco staff on this committee it
meant working in a new environment, outside their everyday workplace, engaging in problem solving
and putting their expertise to new uses. They were living between worlds, experiencing the creative
space discussed by Czarniawska & Mazza (2003) as they became quasi or temporary staff of the
festival. For Garsten (1999) this lack of structural bond created by their regular paid employment yet
incorporated into new extended circles of loyalty means that as temporary employees, of sorts, they
shared some of the interstructural and ambiguous characteristics of liminality (Garsten, 1999: 603).
Indeed some spent so many lunch times in the festival office checking the latest
details on transport, costings and hospitality arrangements that they were thought by
many to be members of the ArtOrg staff, (B2A 1992 nomination form).
Incorporation - Investiture
The sponsorship arrangement between Telco and Artorg was annual in nature. There was a also clear
rhythm to the arrangement, with sponsorship proposal sent to Telco in the autumn, negotiations and
discussions going on through early spring, announcement of the arrangement in mid spring, along
with all the preparatory work, with the festival itself in mid-summer, followed by a review of the
sponsorship by Artorg. There was a short dormant period in early autumn. This time structure meant
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the closing of liminal experiences was possible, literally as Artorg, in their guide role, took down the
theatre spaces and returned them to the 'every-day' - including committee members etc. Liam in his
ally role enabled the liminars to express their learning and actively encouraged employees to
challenge take for granted assumptions (ref turner and someone).
It takes the cap of their [Telco employees] logic and [makes them] look at things
differently, [which is] especially important for engineers, or those who have a
technical bent, youre giving them an overview of that sort of thing [meaning arts]
(Liam, Financial Controller, Telco)
Interestingly there was no attempt by Telco to quantify or measure the benefits of this involvement
directly.
What we are offering is a moment in time with certain shows and people will look
back and remember certain shows and capture moments that would maybe a little
extra for them, and you cant quantify that. Its there in their minds, and when you
look for feedback they tell you thats its a networking opportunity, they make friends
with people in the arts and things like that, and no money can but that (Liam,
Financial Controller, Telco).
Our employees are strongly involved in both the organisation and attendance of
events and that has helped staff morale. Employees enjoy stewarding the shows and
are really proud of Telcos sponsorship. Ticket discounts are available to all our
employees and such has been the degree of interest in attending shows that we have
an arrangement with the Festival Box Office where tickets can be ordered in the plant
here and delivered up [to us] We even arranged for some of the smaller shows to
take place at the NN plant. (Joint ArtFest/Telco submission to the Business2Arts
sponsor of the year competition from end of year 8 of the sponsorship)
Turner himself, views the experience of theatrical drama as a contemporary example of a ritual
process, bringing the audience out of the everyday into a world characterised by symbolic action,
myth and experience (Turner, 1974). According to O'Sullivan (2005:2) the members of a performing
arts audience cross a very visible threshold, and enter into a very specific way of being together (with
each other and with the performers) as they enter the auditorium and the lights go down.
While these intentional efforts to incorporate change were vital to the relationship, what is interesting
in that once a liminal space is created it is not possible to predict what will emerge. Liminal spaces
are, in essence, about creativity or in Turners language a storehouse of possibilities. Below we see
another quote from Liam which relates to the potential for the rituals associated with liminality (i.e.
attendance and involvement with the shows) to perform different roles for those involved.
Now more than ever with the high techs going through turmoil, you need
nourishment and you alternative views and you need to be able to see out of the box
13

and something like the connection with the Arts Festival provides that because you
can get locked into your work. I believe strongly, not just in relation to arts, but in
relation to community that you have to keep an outward look as well as an inward
look for your own survival and for the better[ment] of the Company. Because you
bring back things that you learn from outside. It was a kind of an enrichment or a
bloodline really I felt to the organisation. It was a lot easier to do when things were
going well but even now the high tech are experiencing bad things, that they [Telco]
stuck with it again this year to an even greater extent than previously and I think it is
needed more than ever in times of trouble. People need things like art and sport to get
their minds off some of the real problems that they are faced with (Liam, Financial
Controller, Telco).
5.2 Liminality as experienced by Artorg
Separation - Divestiture
The nature of liminal experiences for Artorg employees was markedly different than Telco
employees. While Telco staff could be seen to engage in the complete liminal process (3 phases) on
annual basis, for Artorg the process was more protracted. This was due to a lack of successful or
complete incorporation, or investiture. The story of Artorgs liminal experiences revolves around their
financial management expertise. The specific goal, (i.e. what should be achieved in the incorporation
phase) was to become fully competent financial managers, and to create financial stability. It is in this
way that becoming a competent financial manager can be conceived as a kin to a rite of passage.
Artorg employees needed to, to some degree, leave the culture of the state funded arts organisation, to
enter into the world of business, and return to their organisation able to change it in some way.
Hanging out with those kind of people sharpens you up. The way they use
technology has influenced our perception of it...We were the first festival in Ireland to
have a Website, we were the first festival in Ireland to have a WAP site and I think we
are the vanguard of technology by being one of the most impressive in our use of the
Internet to help sales on line (Fergal, Artorg General Manager).
This was not an unproblematic experience, where they had to reconcile their artistic and managerial
goals, and decide 'what kind of financially sound organisation do we want to become?'

The

relationship with Telco becomes an important, even vital, mechanism to achieve this. The trigger for
the entry into liminal space was a financial crisis that Artorg faced in year four of the relationship. In
a response to this Liam (who in this instance acts as ally) invited Fergal and Artorg to enter a period
of reflection as to their current financial management processes and systems. This involved staff
leaning the festival offices to go on training programmes at the Telco plant.

14

Some of our staff have gone on their key training courses. Which, for them provided
a novelty of having an arts person there, and for us fascinating to hear the way they
think, trying to manage all sorts of things (Fergal, Artorg General Manager).
Transition - Liminality
The divesture and liminal experiences for Artorg employees became a cyclical or recurring theme in
the relationship. Without full incorporation, further financial crises emerged, triggering renewed call
for incorporation and change.
I had suggested to him (Fergal) earlier that he needed more financial help and he
didnt take it up early enough and he had a particularly rough year last year. It is for
the benefit of us all and I also think that it is important to have knowledge in the area
of freight or the knowledge of finance or the knowledge of IT or something. [We] can
pass that knowledge [on]. (Liam, Financial Controller, Telco).
An interesting component of this was the initiation of a Deloitte and Touche audit of the festival,
encouraged and paid for as part of the sponsorship arrangement. This, similar to Czarniawska &
Mazza (2003) study involved the re-imagining of festival offices, as well as their practices and
process; no longer just deployed in the design and running of a festival, but now becoming valuable
data to be evaluated. It was a challenging and traumatic experience that did yield some important
results. The audit was recognised as a difficult process for the festival, which caused a lot of
headaches (Fergal) and involved a change in attitude from two competing forces (i.e. artistic and
managerial direction) to one energy (Fergal). However, with the help of Liam (acting as ally), the
management consultants dealt with these conditions with a high level of sensitivity, and the changes
made were seen to add to Artorg's artistic polices, and not detract from them.
They [Deloitte & Touche] put in place structures and procedures that could cope
with the scale of the turnover, [which] brought about a stability [in the]
programming. It is not that there is finance on one hand, and an artistic programme
on the other, the two are closely linked. The artistic director works hand in glove with
the general manager and the financial controller. As the programme is being
planned, it is being costed, it is being factored [in] and the cumulative effect is being
assessed as we proceed from day one. (Fergal, Artorg General Manager).
Incorporation - Investiture
Through the case material there is evidence of learning and change to financial management systems
and processes. However that this was a recurring and protracted process gives insight into the
challenges of incorporating change in organisations. For the festival they had to walk the line between
their identity as a well-known, primarily publically funded, critically acclaimed arts organisation and
creating an identity and expertise around their financial management. According to Garsten
15

(1999:507) liminality "breeds ambiguity because it offers both risks and opportunities, for individuals
and organisations alike".
There is however research to show that charitable organisation which we are, or
arts organisations, that there is a very thin line between being slick in your marketing
and being perceived as being too slick, too efficient. Too many people think that we
waste our resources. The bad news is they think youre getting slick, your coming out
with glossy brochures, credit card hotline, low call numbers, youre the HMV of the
arts, youre the TicketmasterWe found in research [weve done that some
supporters were saying], my business couldnt afford a brochure like that, so you
dont need [my support]. So here we were working through an agenda of quality
promotional material, which the corporates liked but some of the local business or
smaller supporters found it excessive and wasteful or resources. So its just that you
have to be cautious when you are dealing with perceptions and marketing (Fergal,
Artorg General Manager).
Similar to Beech (2011) then we can see the struggle and potential failure to make the transition out of
liminality, so that it becomes a perpetual process. That this process was on-going within a relational
setting is important; the relationship enabled the transition to be a) engaged in and b) eventually
completed. Without an ally within Telco the opportunities for learning and change would have been
more difficult (in terms of costs, access to their network, on-going in-kind supports). Important too
was the organisational guide who aimed to walk the line and carve out the new identity involving both
artistic (cutting edge) and financial (prudent) dimensions.
[The new systems do not] undermine the [artistic] programme, it strengthens the
programme, because at any point in time we know what we have to spend, what we
have remaining to spend (Fergal, Artorg General Manager).
6. Discussion
From the case analysis, we can make the following proposal: that deep social, even communal ties can
be developed in business relationships by those who experience shared liminal spaces; shared by
liminars, guides and allies, albeit differently. In the framework developed in this paper the role of
guide and ally is split across organisational boundaries. From a liminal perspective, the relationship
becomes an important site for organisational level liminal experiences. Here managers, or guides, can
enable their employees or organisations to engage in what we can now conceive of as rites of passage;
that is, explicit attempts to incorporate change and take on a new or altered persona or indeed
expertise. Importantly, this is supported by the ally, who enables the employees of the other
organisation to enter into, experience and leave liminality. They provide the setting for liminal
experiences. That this can occurs in a relational setting is vital. First, the organisation can go out to
their network as a source or specific skills or capabilities that they themselves wish to develop
(Hkansson & Snehota, 1990). By conceiving this as a liminal experience it draws attention to how
16

this learning needs to be guided, supported and enabled; that employees need to be supported to
'leave' their own routine, enter into a new or novel space, develop some aspect of themselves, and be
welcomed back into the organisation, changed in some way. This is the role of guide. The case
analysis should not be read as naive. This is not a simple process devoid of politics or strife. Many
aspects of the holding of liminal space for the other organisation are challenging; but here again we
can see the role of trust, and the history developed between the two organisations over time, to be
vital. The strong social ties that emerge from the engagement in ritual or liminal experiences can be
positively fed into the on-going exploration of liminality and achievement of organisational and
relational benefits.
7. Conclusion
There is currently a revived interest in the academic community in the relationship between business
and extra-business interaction (Cova and Salle, 2000; Mainela, 2007, Ryan and Blois, 2010). In this
paper I offer the concept of liminal experiences as one way to conceive of extra business interaction,
and specifically as a source if personal or communal ties in business relationships. The predominant
view of communal ties is that they are brought to the relationship as per-existing, or alternatively
develop in relationships but drawing on pre-existing social group status (i.e. managers members of the
same golf club, Blois and Ryan, 2012). Liminal experiences are anti-structural, bringing together
people from varying backgrounds and are recognised as an important source of creativity and change
for the community or organisation into which the liminar returns. The business relationship can act as
an important host site for such experiences, and as such can benefit from the creativity and change
brought about by them. These experiences must be created and held; two roles that until now have
been overlooked in the literature on liminality in organisational contexts. This is an important
contribution as it reveals how these experiences and importantly closure of these experiences can be
brought about. This is the second layer of contribution. As Beech (2011) has observed little attention
has been given to enabling liminality to begin and end, that is, for incorporation of change to occur.
Instead liminality, in postmodern settings, is considered perpetual. However, for organisations and
individuals to benefit from liminality, incorporporation is required; even if this is to be repeated. The
roles of guide and ally as conceptualisd here have a key role in this, including physically setting up or
re appropriating spaces, equiping liminars, supporting their experiences, and eventually welcoming
them back to the organisation and facilitating their new knowledge or skills to be integrated into the
organisation.
Future research avenues: The use of Turners work does seem immediately relevant to the study of a
business relationship involving a performing arts organisation. However, there are other situations
where this concept can offer novel insight. For example, in any context where relationship
identification (Ryan and Blois, 2010) is a possibility, there is room to involve the concepts of
17

liminality and communitas. Of central importance in the analysis here was the liminal state
experienced by employees who cross formal organisational boundaries (Tempest & Starkey, 2004).
This phenomenon has already found some traction in organisation studies. Perhaps there is more room
to incorporate these ideas into business relationship research. Also, the study of the role of rituals and
rites would be of interest to business relationship researcher. This exploratory paper aims to be part of
these discussions.

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