Against Managerialist Research

Critical Essays
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-009-62123-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 225 Seiten

Offering a rigorous critique of the scientific assumptions and ideological commitments that underlie contemporary managerialist research, this book exposes the foundational premises that sustain this influential approach. Mats Persson and Jan Ch. Karlsson define managerialism as an ideology that elevates management's goals and values to a universal status, shaping both research and practice. They demonstrate how managerialism promotes the alignment of workers' identities and aspirations with managerial objectives while excluding them from meaningful democratic participation in shaping those objectives. Tracing managerialist research back to Scientific Management and Human Relations-not merely to neoliberalism or New Public Management-the authors examine its two core dimensions: that workers are inherently irrational and that workplace democracy constitutes a threat against management and employers. They unpack managerialism's confused interpretations of organisational misbehaviour and resistance, analyse the ideological foundations of managerialist leadership theories, and ultimately propose more robust, democratic approaches to researching working life.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Persson, Mats

Karlsson, Jan Ch.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Managerialism's anathema: rational workers and workplace democracy; 2. Classics of managerialist research; 3. Perspectives on resistance; 4. Resistance to change and the inevitability of death; 5. Chaotic concepts, derogatory terms, unreliable operationalisations; 6. Procrastination and the indeterminacy of wage labour; 7. The dark side of trust-based leadership; 8. Algorithmic managerialism; 9. Conclusion: rational workers and workplace democracy; References; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Karlsson, Jan Ch.
Jan Ch. Karlsson is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in the Department of Working Life Science at Karlstad University, Sweden. He is the author of Organizational Misbehaviour in the Workplace (2012), Collective Mobilization in Changing Conditions (2019), Explaining Society (2019) and The Politics of Working Life and Meaningful Waged Work (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Persson, Mats
Mats Persson is Associate Professor at the Inland School of Business and Social Sciences, University of Inland Norway. He has published on organisation and management in national and international journals and now focuses on managerialist research and practice. Before moving into academia, he worked for many years in the private sector.