Apologies for cross posting
Perhaps some researchers in the sociology of work and
organizations might be interested in the following book:
Ernesto R. Gantman
Capitalism, Social Privilege and Managerial
Ideologies
This book analyzes the evolution of administrative thought from
the
nineteenth century to the present, considering it as ideological
discourse.
Rather than merely being a succession of fads, Gantman shows how
each
successive discourse about the organization of work serves to
legitimate
social interests.
The book's compelling conclusion is that instead of a tendency
towards
increasing theoretical refinement, what is more evident is a trend
towards
fictionalization, which ends in the contemporary paradigm of flatter,
more
participative and democratic organizational forms.
Students and scholars interested in organization theory, management
history,
the sociology of work or critical management will gain many new
insights
from this historical reconstruction of the evolution of management
thought.
Contents
Introduction: ideology and administrative thought; Utopian socialism
as
administrative ideology; Procapitalist managerial ideologies of
the
Nineteenth Century in England and the United States; Managerial
ideologies
and the legitimation of liberal capitalism; Scientific management;
The human
relations ideology; Systemic rationalism; The legitimating
contribution of
managerial ideologies to organized capitalism; The new
paradigm of
management; The world of work under disorganized capitalism;
The
significance and legitimating contribution of the new paradigm
of
management; Managerial ideologies in historical perspective;
Conclusion:
management today; References; Index.
Reviews
'This book provides a much needed critical history of two centuries
of
thinking about administration and management. Gantman shows that most
of
this thought is better described as ideology rather than science in that
it
generally serves the interests of ruling groups. A future of
less
hierarchical and more responsible organizations is well served
by
understanding the past, and hence the limits and possibilities of
the
present.' Dr Martin Parker, University of Leicester, UK
'This book is a 'must read' for those who study organizations,
management
and administration. It employs a broad historical canvas to offer
a
stimulating account of administrative thought's ideological
functioning
since the nineteenth century. In so doing, the book makes a
significant
scholarly contribution to our understanding of the evolving
nature of
capitalism and capitalist legitimation. It succeeds admirably
in
demystifying the mystifying force of managerial ideologies.'
Anshuman
Prasad, Professor of Management, University of New Haven, USA
About the Author/Editor
Dr Ernesto R. Gantman is Adjunct Professor in the Facultad de
Ciencias
Económicas at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and also a Professor
in the
Escuela de Economía y Negocios Internacionales at the Universidad
de
Belgrano, Argentina.
Further Information
Illustrations: Includes 1 b&w illustration
Publication Date: 01/2005
Number of Pages: 194 pages
Binding:
Hardback
Binding Options: Available in Hardback only
Book Size: 234 x 156
mm
British Library Reference: 658'.001
Library of Congress Reference:
2004023403
