The Oxford Handbook of Critical Management Studies

Description

The Oxford Handbook of Critical Management Studies provides an overview of theoretical approaches, key topics, issues, and subject specialisms in management studies, as well as a set of reflections on the progress and prospects of Critical Management Studies (CMS). CMS has emerged as a movement that questions the authority and relevance of mainstream thinking and practice. Critical of established social practices and institutional arrangements, it challenges prevailing systems of domination and promotes the development of alternatives to them. CMS draws upon diverse critical traditions. Of particular importance for its initial articulation was the thinking of members of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. From these foundations, CMS has grown into a pluralistic and inclusive movement incorporating a diverse range of perspectives ranging from labour-process theory to radical feminism. In recent times, a set of ideas broadly labelled ‘poststructuralist’ has been developed to complement and challenge the insights of Critical Theory, giving new impetus for scholars seeking to challenge the status quo and articulate a more inclusive and humane future for management practice. The authors are all specialists in their respective fields and share a concern to interrogate and challenge received wisdom about management theory and practice. The CMS movement has grown rapidly – its ever-increasing theoretical and geographical diversity and its outreach into the public sphere. In addition to UK contributors, where CMS has developed most rapidly, there is strong representation from North American contributors, as well as from areas where CMS has taken hold more recently, such as Australasia.