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Critical performativity: The unfinished business of critical management studies

Warwick Business School, UK, andre.spicer{at}wbs.ac.uk

Mats Alvesson

Business Administration at the Lund University, Sweden, mats.alvesson{at}fek.lu.se

Dan Kärreman

Lund University, Sweden, dan.karreman{at}fek.lu.se

We argue that critical management studies (CMS) should be conceptualized as a profoundly performative project. The central task of CMS should be to actively and pragmatically intervene in specific debates about management and encourage progressive forms of management. This involves CMS becoming affirmative, caring, pragmatic, potential focused, and normative. To do this, we suggest a range of tactics including affirming ambiguity, working with mysteries, applied communicative action, exploring heterotopias and engaging micro-emancipations.

Key Words: critical management studies • pragmatism • public engagement • research methods

Human Relations, Vol. 62, No. 4, 537-560 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726708101984


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