Secrecy at Work: The Hidden Architecture of Organizational Life

Secrecy is endemic within organizations, woven into the fabric of our lives at work. It protects our "special sauces" and "special sources," is in play when a patient or client has confidentiality, and plays out in everyday interactions around the water cooler. Yet, until now, we've had an all-too-limited understanding of this powerful organizational force.

Secrecy is a part of work, and keeping secrets is a form of work. But also, secrecy creates a social order—a hidden architecture within our organizations. Drawing on previously overlooked texts in organizational theory, as well as innovative readings of well-trodden classics, Jana Costas and Christopher Grey identify three types of secrets: formal secrets, such as trade and state secrets based on law and regulation; informal secrets based on networks and trust; and public or open secrets, which are known but go undiscussed. Animated with evocative examples from scholarship, current events, and works of fiction, this typology presents a bold reimagining of a familiar concept.

About the author

Jana Costas is Professor of Human Resource Management at the European-University Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder. She was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship for the study of organizational secrecy at Copenhagen Business School.

Christopher Grey is Professor of Organization Studies at the University of London and the Université Paris-Dauphine. He is the author of A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Organizations (2012) and Decoding Organization (2013).

"In this engaging read, Costas and Grey lift the veil on the topic of secrecy to reveal the vital role that it plays in our organizing efforts. In an era where calls for transparency and openness dominate the organizational landscape, this book provides an alternative discourse to help readers understand and appreciate secret processes at work."

—Craig R. Scott, Professor of Organizational Communication, Rutgers University and author of Anonymous Agencies, Backstreet Businesses, and Covert Collectives

"In their brilliant analysis, Costas and Grey break open a seam of organizing that we really haven't noticed till now. Of course organizations are structured around secrets, who is in the know and who isn't. Often fascinating, sometimes scary, this book reveals the ubiquity and potency of secrecy."

—Amanda Sinclair, Amanda Sinclair, Professorial Fellow, Melbourne Business School

"Secrecy exists everywhere. It is essential to everyday interactions and to the functioning of organizations. Costas and Grey's book draws on classical theories, contemporary research, and a wide range of telling present-day examples. They have written a pioneering, highly readable study; full of insights about how secrecy works, their book will help to focus future research on this wonderful topic."

—Steven Lukes, New York University

"This book sheds brilliant light on an area of organizational life that has not just languished in the dark, but has been systematically excluded from organizational theory. In doing so, it compels us to reconsider what we mean by 'organization' and how we study it. Essential reading for all organizational scholars, regardless of their theoretical, political or ideological positions."

—Yiannis Gabriel, University of Bath

"We think of secrets as nouns, gems hidden by organizations. This compelling book challenges that idea, revealing secrecy as a verb—a ubiquitous mode of communication that constitutes organizational life. More than something that organizations have or do, Costas and Grey expose secrecy as a process that makes organizations what they are."

—Karen Lee Ashcraft, University of Colorado Boulder