Author : Mats Alvesson
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 019163672X
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)
Book Synopsis The Triumph of Emptiness by : Mats Alvesson
Download or read book The Triumph of Emptiness written by Mats Alvesson and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-05-30 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Mats Alvesson aims to demystify some popular and upbeat claims about a range of phenomena, including the knowledge society, consumption, branding, higher education, organizational change, professionalization, and leadership. He contends that a culture of grandiosity is leading to numerous inflated claims. We no longer talk about plans but 'strategies'. Supervisors have been replaced by 'managers', managers are referred to as executives. Management is about 'leadership'. Giving advice is 'coaching'. Companies become 'knowledge-intensive firms'. The book views the contemporary economy as an economy of persuasion, where firms and other institutions increasingly assign talent, energy, and resources to rhetoric, image, branding, reputation, and visibility. Using a wide range of empirical examples to illuminate the realms of consumption, higher education, organization, and leadership, this provocative and engaging book challenges established assumptions and contributes to a critical understanding of society as a whole.