Can critical management studies ever be ‘practical’? A case study in engaged scholarship

King, D.; Learmonth, M.

Abstract

What happens when you try to engage with management practice as a critical management scholar by actually doing management? Although there have been calls for critical scholars to attempt such engagement, little is known about the practical challenges and learning that may be involved. This paper therefore provides a case study which details some of the experiences one of us had when working as a manager – while trying to remain true to his critical sensibilities. The story suggests that transforming management practice will be a constant struggle, and that the difficulties of achieving even small changes should not be underestimated. However change is not impossible. Following Foucault, we argue that critical perspectives, when engaged in particular ways, offer resources through which we might challenge the dominance of managerialist thinking on a practical level; at least in the long run.

Citation

King, D., & Learmonth, M. (2015). Can critical management studies ever be ‘practical’? A case study in engaged scholarship. Human Relations, 68(3), 353-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726714528254

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2014
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Feb 14, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 21, 2014
• Journal: Human Relations
• Print ISSN: 0018-7267
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-282X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 68
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 353-375
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726714528254
• Keywords: Charities, Not-for-profit organisations, Situated critical theory, Performativity, Critical management studies, Engagement, Case study, Management practice, University management, Engaged scholarship, Resistance.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1436775