Critical and postmodern theories
How would critical and postmodern ideas change the way a manager behaved in their work environment?
Introduction
Effective management is critical for the functioning, existence and survival of every modern organization. In dealing with various workforce and employment issues, contemporary managers should be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes. Postmodernism [and critical theory], on the other hand, moves along with the development of culture, society and economy. Economic postmodernism, specifically, manifests that organizations function in the context of organizational upsizing, rapid implementation of communication and information technologies, globalization, changing nature of work, reduction of working class and less salient class conflicts, professionalisation of the work force, stagnant economies, widespread ecological problems and turbulent markets all contribute to the changing dynamics of modern management. Postmodern managers therefore are being challenged by corporate culture, quality management and subjectivities of employees among others. The renewed call for leadership, soul and charisma also surrounds the basis of control for postmodern managers.
In this paper, how critical and postmodern ideas change and influence managers’ behaviors within the work environment will be discussed. The five managerial mindsets as it relates to critical and postmodernism and the four principles of critical and postmodernism as it relates to managerial behaviors will be addressed likewise.
How critical and postmodern ideas influence the managerial mindsets
Further, the critical and postmodern ideas conform to five managerial mindsets, aiming at acquiring ability to transform people, organizations, systems and contexts. Leadership mindsets which are also applicable for managers include reflective, analytic, worldly, collaborative and catalytic mindsets. For managers to be effective, to gain a better understanding of the personal management style is critical hence the reflective mindset. This was perceived as an effort to broaden perspectives which considers how managers should present themselves to others, their strengths and weaknesses and the present management skills and capabilities. Critical postmodernism relates that with autonomy, managers can perfect skills. When assessing the intrinsic similarities and differences, managers of today are required to gain vital knowledge on how own organization performs in comparison with other organization as part of the analytic mindset. These are evidenced by systematic applications of strategies, structures, sourcing and delivery. An aspect of critical postmodernism when dealing with this is the diffusion of traditional organizational boundaries (Mintzberg, 2004, pp. 368-370; Boje and Dennehy, 2008).
Moreover, the worldly mindset guides the managers in navigating systems. It is the evaluation of the position of managers towards complex systems which integrates economic, political and social forces. Knowledge and skills are applied to increase understanding of the dynamics of ‘systems change’ and to encourage managers to make creative solutions. Critical postmodernism lays claim that spatial and temporal diffusion of information to loose and flexible network of semi-autonomous work teams will influence the development of managerial mindset and hence behaviors (Allen, 1999). The appreciation of working relationships is the focus of collaborative mindset. This mindset is measure on the basis of responding to challenges of relationship building, negotiating, coordination and knowledge management. Finally, the catalytic mindset purports the efforts to achieve change. This mindset is action-focused and integrative, meaning a transition from theory to action (Mintzberg, 2004, pp. 368-370). In this way, less powerful groups will emancipate from its oppressive core, contributing to the flexibility of the organization and the managers’ role.
How principles of critical and postmodern ideas influence managerial behaviors
The development of critical and postmodernism points out that people, realities and social relations together become nonessential constructions. Hence, these are constructed under specific conditions of power and contestation. The irony, however, is that social constructions are filled with opacities, contradictions and conflict suppression (Clegg, Hardy and Nord, 1996, p. 193). Critical and postmodern ideas draw upon four overarching yet conflicting principles. The first is the power and knowledge relation arising with Nietzsche’s perspectivalism. Perspectivism suggests that there are several possible conceptual schemas or perspectives which may determine any possible judgment of truth or value that we may make (Clark, 1990). In lieu with this, organizations strive onto the direction to be learning organizations. Senge (1990) defines a learning organization as “where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to learn together.”
Boje and Dennehy (2008, p. 29) contend that the postmodern form is falter, more diverse, more flexible, more automated, more dispersed and focuses on narrower niches in the market place. Since the form is different, the skill set for managers will also be different. It is in this sense that competitiveness and efficiency of managers is becoming more apparent. As organizations embrace the sharing of basic knowledge hence the growing interdependence, managers are required to maximize their knowledge capacities in the workplace. There are three basic competencies that managers should acquire delivering positive outcomes, fostering partnerships and fair and evidenced management. In the first competency, managers are expected to be business thinkers where they understand the organization’s purpose, context, goals, objectives and the relevance of the role. Further, managers are required to have passion for results hence should understand what needs to be done and stretching themselves to deliver results effectively(Miller, Rankin and Neathy, 2001).
Because organizations are becoming diverse as ever, managers are assumed to foster relationships in terms of effectively managing such, being a team player and learning and improving in accordance to the requirements of the organization. A plausible example is that the increased in women’s participation in the workplace. The old adage that women are vulnerable to changes such as political climate, competitive pressures, technological issues, regulations and practices and harmonization and globalization paves the way of women’s employment, but is no longer the case (Deresky, 2005). A manager should be geared towards collaborating effectively across the organization and with external stakeholders; cooperating and supporting subordinates to produce better results and developing self, helping others to excel at what they do and values individuals. Lastly, managers are also expected to perform through clear communication, analytical rigor and objective judgment and decision-making. Sharing information, experience and ideas to ensure understanding, using analysis to find solutions and making sound and timely decisions that are evidence based, respectively, are just three aspects where development of managerial behaviors should be inclined into (Miller, Rankin and Neathy, 2001).
The second principle is a nondualistic constructionist account of experience and language which situates all perspective within specific social/historical/linguistic contexts. This means that the intersubjectivity preceding any subjectivity or objectivity is structured in specific ways. In simpler terms, subjectivity means personal interpretation or vision while objectivity refers to the fact or quality of being accurate or the actual existence. Managerial objectivity requires that managers should align performance at individual level with organizational performance. For instance, it is the manager’s duty to delegate tasks and subordinates are responsible for the actual execution of the delegated tasks. In addition to this, postmodern organizations listen to the voice of not just the internal stakeholders but also the suppliers, customers, workers and communities, all of which contribute to the actions performed and strategies implemented by managers in the workplace (Boje and Dennehy, p. 82).
Nevertheless, it is also significant for managers to unite individual schemes with organizational opportunities. Of subjective importance to managers are acquiring skills in managing their own careers, greater retention of valued employees, increased understanding of the organization, and enhanced reputations as people-developers. As such, critical postmodernism affects managerial behaviors through emphasizing the necessity of individualism. The purpose of these activities is to enhance performance through the acquisition of increased knowledge, skills, competencies, and/ or improved behavior (Eggland and Gilley 1998, p. 16). Radical critical postmodern prescriptions, as Boje and Dennehy (2008) put it, claim that people need to be more career-centered than organization-centered in lieu with increased mobility requirements (p. 101).
Third builds upon the principle of social conflict which means positioning social/historical/linguistic perspectives within materially produced social divisions. Organisational structures, for instance, provides an overview of the position and function that managers occupy. Responsibility and authority could be diffused in such a way that different functions and/or specialized units are created for the managers. Organisational members climb a ladder of supervision rather than perfect themselves as individuals to better build products, services and lifestyles. According to Boje and Dennehy (2008), managers also function to topple the corporate ladder (p. 101). The managers work through internal structures and systems and funnel effect of the manager’s knowledge, expertise and skills could drive not just the competence of the employees but also the organization’s as a whole that is why it is imperative that managers should understand their role clearly to make subordinates understand their roles. It is clear that managers should be able to forecast future competitive success and translate organizations’ mission and strategies into a comprehensive framework of performance measures based on strategic measurement and management systems despite the differences in role that the organizational structure depicts.
In connection with this, the critical postmodern discourse is that employees are organized into teams where quality of work procedures is the emphasis For postmodern competitive teams, the context relating to focal environment is the market and through a matrix and integrative style of workplace organization (Boje and Dennehy, 2008, pp. 24-27).. In the manager-led team, the manager acts as the team leader. The team members are responsible for the actual execution of the delegated task. The leader in self-managing teams determines the overall purpose or goal of the team. The whole team manages the methods by which they can achieve their goal (Thompson, 2007, p. 9). Evidently, managerial behaviors are shaped on the basis of responsible implementation of assigned work for the managers and the subordinates or team members. Because control is vested on the manager’s hand, the challenge for managers is the sense of ownership of team members considering that they have little autonomy over their works.
A complex human subject is the fourth principle where human is regarded as the complex, conflict-ridden and often mistaken subject in a place of a knowing, unitary, autonomous person. Thereby, the challenge is the simple rationality and the clear and fixed identity. In relation to the ever-changing nature of organizations that must change in internally according to the external changes, managers are increasingly required to contribute and increase organizational effectiveness. Aside from being people developers, managers should initiate changes that meant at motivating others in order to support change. The role of the managers, as change agents, is crucial. Their responsibilities include becoming culturally aware, understanding the organization culture and communicating or conveying consistent messages to the membership at the very least (Poole, 1998). Managers serve as instruments of legitimate compliance wherein they become emblems of effective change mechanisms as well. The managerial meaning of motivation deals with the activity of managers and leaders to induce others in order to produce results desired or outlined by the organization or by the manager.
The managerial concept of motivation conforms to a relationship between motivation, ability and performance. The main purpose of motivating your workplace is to minimize dissatisfaction and to keep people within the organization (Tosi, Mero and Rizzo, 2000, pp. 129-133). The critical postmodern rationale behind motivation is the requirement of postmodern organizations for highly involved workplace. Self-managing teams of empowered employee which participates in productivity quality and more job satisfaction would be plausible, with manager-led teams as the nearest alternative. Within manager-led team, as an example, the weight of responsibility is given to the team manager as he or she is in-charge for defining the goals, methods and functioning of the team. Critical postmodernism also requires the organization around processes rather than functions. What affects managerial behaviors in terms of team- and functions-based processes are the elements of command and control with empowerment, self-management and self-control (Boje and Dennehy, 2008, p. 147).
Boje (2001) asserts that critical postmodernism claims that ethics is worth retaining as well as balancing managerialism with labor and environmental perspectives. One could understand that the application of such is apparent on corporate social responsibility or simply CSR and how managers could contribute in this. CSR is simply defined as “the impact of a business and the relationship between it and society specifically those which are involved or affected by its activities” (Sims, 2003). As such, CSR concerns the social environment and a changed social contract. It has been argued that modern organizations should consider the societal impact of their decisions and actions. Organizations are obliged to protect and improve the welfare of the general public. The organizations must aim not only on organizational effectiveness but on existence to address the needs of society (p. 43). This should be evidenced by set of written and unwritten rules and assumptions in a corporate manner. This is in part of business ethics which that is expected to be integrated at all aspects of the organization. According to Sims (2003), modern organizations are concern with the greater specificity, usefulness and consistency of ethics (pp. 12-13). Ethical behaviors then dealt with morally-acceptable and commonly-held values which are consistent to personal perception of values.
Managers are no strangers to either business ethics or CSR. As a stakeholder, managers should understand what ought to be” and “what ought not to be”, two aspects which should govern ethical decision-making of the managers. Managers often perceive their roles to be the providers of inputs whether productive or not-so-productive experiences. They would present their personal expectations as well as their organizational. When it comes to ethics and social, however, managers are challenged by the ‘teachability’ of business ethics and the ‘learnability’ of the employees in accordance with their personal perception and values regarding business ethics. Grace (2006) relates that business institutions “cannot taught students something as fundamental as moral principles and ethical values as a kind of professional add-ons.” It would be then difficult for managers to impart morality and inculcate virtue to future mangers. Workforce engagement increasingly becomes a challenge since every individual are employing different attitudes and behaviors toward work. Adherence to business ethics and CSR affect the attitude, emotions and behavior of the employees regarding corporate citizenship (Rupp et al, 2006).
Conclusion
On the basis of the managerial mindsets including reflective, analytic, worldly, collaborative and catalytic, critical postmodern ideas suggest that the direction of the development of managerial behaviors are based on the autonomy of the managers, the growing organizational interdependence, the pursuit to be a learning organization and the empowerment of less powerful groups within the organization. Furthermore, managerial behaviors are shaped by the principles of power and knowledge, constructionism, perspectivism and complex human subject, as well as the aspects that encompass these principles.
References
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Tosi, H. L., Mero, N. P. & Rizzo, J. R. (2000). Managing Organizational Behavior. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 129-133.
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