Management Tools: A Social Sciences Perspective

Management tools have moved beyond the managerial and consultancy realm to reach public administrations and policy-makers. This book provides a social analytical perspective to understand the functional and dysfunctional roles and effects of management tools within and across organizations, drawing from anthropology, political science, social psychology, sociology, accounting, organization theory, and management.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 311 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

No organization can escape the impact of management tools, which have expanded beyond their original realm of management and consultancy to reach public administrations, policy-makers, and a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organizations. In this book, authors Ève Chiapello and Patrick Gilbert take a social analytical approach to management tools, emphasizing their everyday significance and often overlooked role in organizational life. By drawing from diverse fields such as anthropology, political science, social psychology, sociology, accounting, organization theory, and management, they provide an unprecedented theoretical synthesis that aims to help managers, scholars, and policy-makers understand the functional and dysfunctional roles and effects of management tools within and across organizations.

The authors argue that management tools are not just practical tools for achieving organizational goals but also social constructs that shape the way organizations operate and interact with their environments. They explore the historical development of management tools, their evolution, and their impact on organizational practices. The book also examines the ways in which management tools are used to justify and perpetuate power structures, control behavior, and maintain social inequalities.

To address these issues, the authors propose a framework for analyzing the roles and effects of management tools. They argue that management tools should be viewed as part of a larger social system and that their impact should be considered in the context of power relations, social norms, and cultural beliefs. The framework includes a range of analytical tools, such as discourse analysis, ethnography, and case studies, that can be used to examine the ways in which management tools are used and interpreted by different actors within and across organizations.

In conclusion, this book offers a valuable contribution to the study of management tools and their impact on organizations. By taking a social analytical approach, the authors challenge traditional perspectives on management and provide a framework for understanding the complex and multifaceted roles of management tools in shaping organizational life. The book will be of interest to managers, scholars, and policy-makers seeking to understand the dynamics of organizations and the ways in which management tools can be used to promote or hinder organizational change and development.

Weight: 420g
ISBN-13: 9781108451727
Edition number: New ed