Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
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ecome ‘glass cages’ (Gabriel (2005) cited by Alvess<strong>on</strong>, 2013) in which every member of<br />
staff is kept in place by the transparency of its performances and the internalizati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
organizati<strong>on</strong>al values. In line with Foucault (1975) <strong>on</strong>e can speak of the rise of the<br />
panoptical organizati<strong>on</strong>. Apparently the discourse of power has changed from external<br />
c<strong>on</strong>trol <strong>on</strong> performances to self-c<strong>on</strong>trol <strong>on</strong> ultra-performances, exactly because of<br />
all the emphasis <strong>on</strong> participati<strong>on</strong> and invitati<strong>on</strong> to speak out (Courpass<strong>on</strong> and Thoenig,<br />
2008).<br />
In line with what Elias (1969) saw as the hallmark of western civilizati<strong>on</strong> process, this<br />
intensifying of “Selbstzwang” (self-restraint) is not surprising. One can speak of organizati<strong>on</strong>al<br />
refinement of civilized behaviour. Power differences and a str<strong>on</strong>g sense of<br />
interdependency nourish the correctness of organizati<strong>on</strong>al behaviour for both supervisors<br />
and subordinates (Soeters and Iters<strong>on</strong>, 2002). From the perspective of CMS the<br />
discourses promoting participati<strong>on</strong> can be interpreted as a way of centralizati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
policy by involving as much as many organizati<strong>on</strong> members in the development of<br />
policy. Participati<strong>on</strong> in development of policy is to be interpreted as tactics of complicity<br />
(Metze, 2009), cloaked in empty fashi<strong>on</strong>able c<strong>on</strong>cepts like ‘empowerment’ or<br />
‘mean and lean-management’ (Alvess<strong>on</strong>, 2013).<br />
Emancipatory perspective<br />
The criticism of managerial practices from the CMS-perspective is nourished by an<br />
emancipatory perspective <strong>on</strong> human society (Alvess<strong>on</strong> et al., 2009b; Alvess<strong>on</strong> and<br />
Willmott, 2012). Emancipati<strong>on</strong> will be realized if decisi<strong>on</strong>-making processes take direct<br />
account of the will and priorities of diverse stakeholders instead of <strong>on</strong>ly the financial<br />
and managerial priorities of the elite. Emancipatory transformati<strong>on</strong> should promote<br />
greater aut<strong>on</strong>omy and resp<strong>on</strong>sibility through which human interdependence instead<br />
of individualism can be realized (Alvess<strong>on</strong> and Willmott, 2012).<br />
Nevertheless, an interesting emancipatory opening can end when people become<br />
locked in into unreflective thinking, causing them to give up their aut<strong>on</strong>omy and to<br />
identify with the priorities of the managerial elite. This is illustrated by research from a<br />
CMS-perspective. Rebelling middle-managers became the successors of their former<br />
senior managers (Courpass<strong>on</strong> and Thoenig, 2008) and self-management turned into<br />
tight c<strong>on</strong>trol of fellow workers (Barker, 2005). Therefore a critical reflecti<strong>on</strong> and a<br />
critical analysis from a totalizing historical perspective always will be imperative.<br />
Whatever it takes, local “… struggles … must be appreciated as a medium and outcome<br />
of broader processes of transformati<strong>on</strong>” (Alvess<strong>on</strong> and Willmott, 2012: 197). Apparently<br />
ordinary people are not able to be critical and blamed for a certain functi<strong>on</strong>al stupidity:<br />
“... a lack of reflexivity, substantive reas<strong>on</strong>ing, and justificati<strong>on</strong>.” (Alvess<strong>on</strong> and<br />
Spicer, 2012: 1196).<br />
One way in and out<br />
Being suspicious by nature (Mumby, 2004) CMS is all about structural managerial<br />
dominati<strong>on</strong> and hegem<strong>on</strong>y. Even when organizati<strong>on</strong>al members are participating their<br />
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