Globalization and Organization—World Society and Organizational Change, G.S. Drori, J.W. Meyer, H....
2
practitioners. In this way I have expressed my view that Aesthetic leadership makes a significant contribution to the field, and will represent an important resource for organisa- tional aestheticians in the years to come. References Bjo ¨rkman, I. (2007). Beautiful business. In P. Guillet de Monthoux, C. Gustafsson, & S.-E. Sjo ¨strand (Eds.), Aesthetic leadership: Managing fields of flow in art and business (pp. 233–248). London: Palgrave MacMillan. Foucault, M. (1991). On the genealogy of ethics: An overview of work in progress. In P. Rabinow (Ed.), The Foucault reader (pp. 340–372). London: Penguin Books. Gagliardi, P. (1996). Exploring the aesthetic side of organizational life. In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), Handbook of organization studies (pp. 565–580). London: Sage. Guillet de Monthoux, P. (2004). The art firm: Aesthetic management and metaphysical marketing. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Linstead, S., & Ho ¨pfl, H. J. (Eds.). (1999). The aesthetics of organization. London: Sage. Strati, A. (1999). Organization and aesthetics. London: Sage. van Damme, W. (2006). World aesthetics: Biology, culture and reflection. In J. Onians (Ed.), Compression vs. expression: Containing and explaining the world’s art (pp. 151–187). New Haven: Yale University Press. Ralph Bathurst Department of Management and International Business, Massey University, Albany Campus, Private Bag 102904 North Shore, MSC, Auckland, New Zealand E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2007.09.003 Globalization and Organization—World Society and Organizational Change, G.S. Drori, J.W. Meyer, H. Hwang (Eds.). Oxford University Press, Oxford (2006), £22.50, 322 pages, ISBN: 9780199284535 This edited collection of essays contributes a polyphonic addition to the globalization and organization behaviour literature. Its focus is the worldwide explosion of formal organization and organizing in the modern social world that may be attributed to the globalization of risk and opportunity. Its tone is evidently positive—pro-globalization—and it deals with these focal interests through a sequence of essays, which methodologically triangulate, rather than directly engage with the chosen topics. Three core points are identified by the editors as foundational to this anthology: that organizations reflect environmental models, which evolve extensively and tend to become homogenous; that national contexts have become less relevant in the advance of global or world-scale organizing; and that leading on from these two points, hence structurally, world society and world polity are recursively influencing the expansion and penetration of formal organiza- tion. Beyond these evident theoretical references to uncer- tainty, risk (Beck, 1992) and structure (Giddens, 1986), the introductory chapter offers a genealogy for the central rationale uniting these papers: The most important issue, we think, rests with the cognitive and normative background to the global processes of organizing, rather that with the actors that carry the message. (p. 17) The book is presented in two parts. In the first part, the three editors variously analyse strands of globalization, which they see as fuelling the tendency to proliferation in formal organization. The first chapter opens with an explication of their core thesis of globalization, in which the global is the contemporary social horizon, which has supplanted the previous horizon of national. There is an interesting discussion of the decline of the primordiality of the nation state set in a rare and effective epochalization from de Toqueville (2000 (1836)) to Ventresca (1996). This is a prelude to a more extensive analysis of the transnational corporations as conformist leviathans. For me, at least, such analysis implicates echoes of a more overtly critical literature of imperialism (Hardt & Negri, 2001) and projective capitalism (Boltanski & Chiapello, 2006): it is a curious trait of this volume, however, that while the constituent essays explicitly and implicitly adduce filaments of critique, they never employ them critically. The second chapter amplifies a further such strand of near critique. Drori and Meyer here implicate an almost directly Foucaultian violence in their analysis of the plainly sinister effects of the scientization of society. In what, again to me, is egregious, the authors inscribe the supreme performativ- ity of scientific principles, convening upon instrumental economic determinism—‘‘in science we trust’’ (p. 50)—as becoming the only means of societal legitimation. These authors do not then consider such a spectre of global scientization as any kind of threat to society. Rather they seem to suggest that an ontology dominated by such scientization is an environment in which formalized organi- zational structures will expand and flourish. The third and fourth chapters similarly analyse the decline in national planning in favour of the global planning; and the cognate tendency of governance (as in global and corporate) to be in the process of surpassing national and regional government as a relevant administrative regime. Having analysed these strands of globalization, which they perceive as fuelling a tendency to proliferation in formal organization, the second part of the book offers descriptive illustrations of the features of such a tendency from wider authorship. Essentially, these illustrations pre- sent and evaluate a range of contexts, which are affected by the apparently harmless, neutral trends established in Chapters 1–4: the business school; global quality standards; accounting practice; corporate responsibility; HRM practice; and, the universities. And this is exactly what they do: for example, the chapter on the business school appears to ARTICLE IN PRESS Book reviews 75
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Transcript of Globalization and Organization—World Society and Organizational Change, G.S. Drori, J.W. Meyer, H....
practitioners. In this way I have expressed my view thatAesthetic leadership makes a significant contribution to thefield, and will represent an important resource for organisa-tional aestheticians in the years to come.
References
Bjorkman, I. (2007). Beautiful business. In P. Guillet de Monthoux, C.Gustafsson, & S.-E. Sjostrand (Eds.), Aesthetic leadership:Managing fields of flow in art and business (pp. 233–248).London: Palgrave MacMillan.
Foucault, M. (1991). On the genealogy of ethics: An overview ofwork in progress. In P. Rabinow (Ed.), The Foucault reader(pp. 340–372). London: Penguin Books.
Gagliardi, P. (1996). Exploring the aesthetic side of organizationallife. In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), Handbook oforganization studies (pp. 565–580). London: Sage.
Guillet de Monthoux, P. (2004). The art firm: Aesthetic managementand metaphysical marketing. Stanford, CA: Stanford UniversityPress.
Linstead, S., & Hopfl, H. J. (Eds.). (1999). The aesthetics oforganization. London: Sage.
Strati, A. (1999). Organization and aesthetics. London: Sage.van Damme, W. (2006). World aesthetics: Biology, culture and
reflection. In J. Onians (Ed.), Compression vs. expression:Containing and explaining the world’s art (pp. 151–187). NewHaven: Yale University Press.
Ralph BathurstDepartment of Management and International Business,
Massey University, Albany Campus,Private Bag 102904 North Shore, MSC,
Auckland, New ZealandE-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2007.09.003
Globalization and Organization—World Society andOrganizational Change, G.S. Drori, J.W. Meyer, H.Hwang (Eds.). Oxford University Press, Oxford(2006), £22.50, 322 pages, ISBN: 9780199284535
This edited collection of essays contributes a polyphonicaddition to the globalization and organization behaviourliterature. Its focus is the worldwide explosion of formalorganization and organizing in the modern social world thatmay be attributed to the globalization of risk and opportunity.Its tone is evidently positive—pro-globalization—and it dealswith these focal interests through a sequence of essays, whichmethodologically triangulate, rather than directly engage withthe chosen topics. Three core points are identified by theeditors as foundational to this anthology: that organizationsreflect environmental models, which evolve extensively andtend to become homogenous; that national contexts havebecome less relevant in the advance of global or world-scaleorganizing; and that leading on from these two points, hencestructurally, world society and world polity are recursivelyinfluencing the expansion and penetration of formal organiza-tion. Beyond these evident theoretical references to uncer-tainty, risk (Beck, 1992) and structure (Giddens, 1986), theintroductory chapter offers a genealogy for the centralrationale uniting these papers:
The most important issue, we think, rests with thecognitive and normative background to the globalprocesses of organizing, rather that with the actors thatcarry the message. (p. 17)
The book is presented in two parts. In the first part, thethree editors variously analyse strands of globalization,which they see as fuelling the tendency to proliferation informal organization. The first chapter opens with anexplication of their core thesis of globalization, in whichthe global is the contemporary social horizon, which hassupplanted the previous horizon of national. There is aninteresting discussion of the decline of the primordiality of
the nation state set in a rare and effective epochalizationfrom de Toqueville (2000 (1836)) to Ventresca (1996). This isa prelude to a more extensive analysis of the transnationalcorporations as conformist leviathans. For me, at least, suchanalysis implicates echoes of a more overtly criticalliterature of imperialism (Hardt & Negri, 2001) andprojective capitalism (Boltanski & Chiapello, 2006): it is acurious trait of this volume, however, that while theconstituent essays explicitly and implicitly adduce filamentsof critique, they never employ them critically.
The second chapter amplifies a further such strand of nearcritique. Drori and Meyer here implicate an almost directlyFoucaultian violence in their analysis of the plainly sinistereffects of the scientization of society. In what, again to me,is egregious, the authors inscribe the supreme performativ-ity of scientific principles, convening upon instrumentaleconomic determinism—‘‘in science we trust’’ (p. 50)—asbecoming the only means of societal legitimation. Theseauthors do not then consider such a spectre of globalscientization as any kind of threat to society. Rather theyseem to suggest that an ontology dominated by suchscientization is an environment in which formalized organi-zational structures will expand and flourish. The third andfourth chapters similarly analyse the decline in nationalplanning in favour of the global planning; and the cognatetendency of governance (as in global and corporate) to be inthe process of surpassing national and regional governmentas a relevant administrative regime.
Having analysed these strands of globalization, whichthey perceive as fuelling a tendency to proliferation informal organization, the second part of the book offersdescriptive illustrations of the features of such a tendencyfrom wider authorship. Essentially, these illustrations pre-sent and evaluate a range of contexts, which are affected bythe apparently harmless, neutral trends established inChapters 1–4: the business school; global quality standards;accounting practice; corporate responsibility; HRM practice;and, the universities. And this is exactly what they do: forexample, the chapter on the business school appears to
ARTICLE IN PRESS
Book reviews 75
present as a perfectly acceptable state of affairs thefollowing educational nightmare:
As more business organizations take on the form ofrationality in various ways and more countries participatein global society noneconomically as well as economic-ally, MBA programs and B-Schools will continue to spreadto churn out ‘modern’ managers. (p. 135)
Perhaps this is a group of academics whose attention has notyet been drawn to the Academy of Management Learningand Education Journal in which they might have readSumantra Ghoshal on this topic. Preferring Hayek’s (1989)critique of such scientization as leading only to the pretenceof knowledge, he asserts:
Unfortunately as the philosophy of science makes clear, itis an error to pretend that the methods of sciences can beindiscriminately applied to business studies because sucha pretention ignores some fundamental differences thatexist between different academic disciplines (Ghoshal,2005, p. 77)
Reverting to the subject text, similarly in corporateresponsibility—theorised here by Shanahan and Khagram,and without evident irony, ‘‘as a tenuous union of left-progressive support for human rights, the environment, etc.with a right neoliberal market logic’’ (p. 199). We can bereassured however by ‘‘Milton Friedman’s insistence thatbusiness is about making money and money alone stillprevails’’ (p. 198).
Consequently it comes as no surprise to find in theconclusion, that resistance to market globalization—itself aglobalized movement—is regarded as only implausiblysuccessful to these authors. And while structural approachesto globalization agglomerate the polluting destroyers of theozone layer (thus cattle ranchers, fast food operators,airports, airlines, car manufacturers, oil refiners andexponential multiples of consumers), this activity is all infact legitimated by the scripts of corporate responsibility.Globalization benignly and positively: ‘‘speeds the sendingof diseases to the exposed populations of impoverishedcountries, and also organizes a huge worldwide movementabout the right to health’’ (p. 267). This last revelation willbe resounding good news for Moore (2007).
This book is an interesting curiosity. On this basis Icommend it to readers of mainstream and critical organiza-tional behaviour and/or for specific insights into thearguments, which support globalization. It is a well-rationalised text that avoids the nauseating extremes of
other conventional mono-dimensional, business-as-usualapologias (Norberg, 2005; Wolf, 2005). While not explicitlyenthusiastic for the consequences of globalization, yetneither is it critical: this is globalization in reverent analysis.A perfect, politically correct analysis that mentions Beck,Giddens, Foucault and Bauman—but does not engageintellectually with what any of them represents. Thus, itcondones and strengthens the status quo and superficiallypalliates the critics of globalization, foreclosing critique. Inthis dubious achievement—and truly evoking Bauman(1998)—this book manages to tastefully fulfil his apparentanticipation that the faster and more glibly globalizationcan supplant orthodox practices and beliefs, the faster itwill become a no-questions-asked canon.
These authors have provided such a canon. Globalizationas a concept is deftly deployed as a means of concealing thepolitical appropriations that it effects in the name of marketcapitalism. Such incidentals are neither an issue of sinisterremark nor any morally questionable consequence in thispristine volume.
References
Bauman, Z. (1998). Globalization: The human consequences.New York City, NY: Columbia University Press.
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: Towards a new modernity. London:Sage.
Boltanski, L., & Chiapello, E. (2006). The new spirit of capitalism.London: Verso.
de Toqueville, A. (2000). Democracy in America. Chicago, IL:University of Chicago Press [(1836)].
Ghoshal, S. (2005). Bad management theories are destroying goodmanagement practices. Academy of Management Learning andEducation, 4, 75–91.
Giddens, A. (1986). The constitution of society: Outline of thetheory of structuration. Cambridge: Polity.
Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2001). Empire. London: Harvard UniversityPress.
Moore, M. (2007). Sicko!. USA: Lionsgate (113min).Norberg, J. (2005). In defence of global capitalism. New Delhi:
Academic Foundation.Ventresca, M. (1996).When states count: International and political
dynamics in modern census establishment. Stanford University.Wolf, M. (2005). Why globalization works. Boston, MA: Yale Nota
Bene.
David BevanThe School of Management, Royal Holloway,University of London EGHAM TW20 0EX, UK
E-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2007.09.001
Deirdre N. McCloskey, The bourgeois virtues—ethics for an age of commerce. Chicago and London:Chicago University Press, ISBN: 978-0-226-55663-8,2006 (616pp., price (cloth) USD 32:50)
Having read and reflected upon this book I feel I havebecome a different person. It is not that the book isparticularly exciting or easy to read, in fact it is quitedemanding. It is that now I look differently at my empirical
material. I see things in it that I did not notice before. I havealready revised an article manuscript that I was about tosubmit. What is it? Why does this book speak to me?
We all know Deirdre McCloskey and her role to be a thornin the flesh for all the rationalist (‘‘prudent’’) economists ofthe world. This volume (and the three complementaryones yet to be delivered to complete the argument)is the strongest argument to date, and a hopeful onebecause it promises to put management and economics onspeaking terms with one another, that is, if our friends, the
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Book reviews76
