A. Ro Report – D365 Real Talk

Intro

(Near) Christmas Edition: Part 14.

Content

„Forms of corporate and public management exert a persasive influence over diverse aspects of modern life that previously were organized within communities and by households. Education, health, consumption and the arts as well as work have become objects of management knowledge and control […].
At the same time, modern societies have become increasingly risk and crisis-prone – to, for example, financial meltdown, errorist threats, nuclear annihilation, ecological degradation, global warming. In addition, there are many less dramatic but nevertheless problematic aspects of modern society, including a widely felt loss of sense of meaning and purpose in working life (Sennett, 1998, 2006). […]. We are bombarded by images and messages which declare that our lives will be bettered (only) by acquiring more things, fine titles, more impressive careers. We then find ourselves caught up in a ‚rat race‘ where insecurity, anxiety and suffering are temporarily suspended but unaddressed and so effectively reinforced (Alvesson, 2012b). Since management is deeply complicit in the organization and development of modern societies, making sense of management, as a key locus of expert control, is critical. It is critical not only for our self-understanding but, more grandiosely, for the future of modern societies and their sustainability.“ (Alvesson & Willmott 2012, p. 13-14).

Consequences

Once a university professor told me that everything is communication. You cannot not communicate at all. The same applies to management: Management is everywhere, and as described above, has its own influence, logics, and consequences for nearly all domains of life.

Therefore, the consequences have multiple characteristics. One is that management in general, and managers in particular, have a lot of influence (power) over structures, but also ultimately on our personal lifes as well. This does not ultimately lead to a better or worse world, but solely – in a first step of analysis – may lead to an understanding, why certain people (Managers) have a more „critical“ role in our world as we might think.

Additionally, if management is also thought of as a responsibility, the consequences for nature, people, societies, and countries lies also not only (!) at all people equally, but there is responsibility that is (or has to…) consequently taken by managers.

This trend, described in 2012 and before, has even increased in the last few years. However, as you can see also from other sources, the responsibility is not taken over to a certain extend. What I mean by that is, for example, the Financial Crisis and its implications for certain countries in and around 2008. Many managers in the banking industry decided to invest in something, that was not worth it – many of them still working today. After the crisis had arrived, certain countries, Germany as well, helped banks to survive – not only for the goods of managers, but also the society since otherwise money of „usual“ people would have been gone…

From my perspective, this unequal distribution of power, responsibility, and that ultimately „negative“ consequences are not taken over (but hedged, for example, with money of other people) leads to what we can see today: Power is concentrated, risks are hedged or shifted towards others, ultimately people that benefit from power structures are not the ones that are targeted in the long run if crises or problems arise.

Applied to management in organizations, those managers that first of all identify and not hedge, but fully embrace power and (not or) responsibility to a full extend are the brave ones that might not only be interested in gaining even more power but to use their influence for the goods of their employees or else.

Summary

1. Identify risks, power, and responsibility.
2. Management is everywhere.

Resources

Alvesson, M. & Willmott, H. (2012): Making Sense of Mangement. A Critical Introduction, SAGE, London.

Mats Alvesson: https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/mats-alvesson

The Triumph of Emptiness: Consumption, Higher Education, and Work Organization : Alvesson, Mats: Amazon.de: Bücher

Taleb, N. N. (2013): Antifragilität: Anleitung für eine Welt, die wir nicht verstehen. Albrecht Knaus Verlag, München 2013, ISBN 978-3-8135-0489-7.

Intro

Just hit the 10th part :).

Content

„That the vast majority of textbooks and guru handbooks on management pay little or no attention to the relevance of critical reason to understanding and diagnosing the theory and practice of management is, in our view, a lost opportunity and a matter of much regret. A preoccupation with the acquisition of techniques and ideologies of problem-solving is mirrored in the view that management is only about current ‚practice‘ of prevailing ways of ‚getting things done‘. This view trivializes the significance of management and, in effect, inhibits its scrutiny by prescribing the kinds of knowledge that have relevance for its study and appreciation. As Thompson and McHugh (1990: 28) have ruefully observed, in most literature on management, consideration of ‚many deep-seated features of oreganizational life – inequality, conflict, domination, subordination and manipulation‘ is neglected or suppressed in favour of ‚behavioural questions associated with efficiency and motivation‘. There is a reluctance to question the ’sacred‘ role and prerogative of management – a position that is routinely protected by thge defensive understainding that the purpose of such questioning is to ‚knock‘ management rather than to stimulate debate about its role and legitimacy.“ (Alvesson & Willmott 2012, p. 6-7).

Consequences

This passage illustrates properly what CMS is about: It’s about „looking behind the fassade“ of usual management practices and its unquestioned praise of being useful, purposeful, and ultimately solving our challenges in organizations.

It also shows the „dark side“ of organizational practices that are common and which we face every day. Manipulation, tactics, and conflict, for example, are common strategies of saving and enlarging status and power structures in organizations. Just a few, not described by many management handbooks, sources are (1) able to describe it properly, (2) are willing to describe these mechanisms (for example, in the light of negative consequences for themselves), (3) trying to not neglect these practices we all know and maybe also experienced.

Being transparent and honest about the „dark side“ is not that easy at all. Customers, colleagues, friends, and internal parties do not always welcome an open dialogue about these mechanisms. Instead, it is addressed by emphasizing the bright side, suppressing tactics, or else.

In the end, it is important, for every project, interaction, and organization, to find a good balance between both. Be aware that there always be force that are interested in the bright or dark side, and also the positive – or negative – consequences for them if the one or another is addressed.

Resources

Alvesson, M & Willmott, H (2012): Making Sense of Mangement. A Critical Introduction, SAGE, London.

Mats Alvesson: https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/mats-alvesson

The Triumph of Emptiness: Consumption, Higher Education, and Work Organization : Alvesson, Mats: Amazon.de: Bücher