Enabling critical performativity: The role of institutional context and critical performative work

Léca, Bernard; Cruz, Luciano Barin

doi:10.1177/1350508421995759

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(137 reference statements)

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“…Since we could argue that any theorisation will be ‘narrow and ontologically excluding understandings of space’ (Beyes and Holt, 2020: 20), any adopted conceptualisation will rely on deliberate choices. The epistemological (but also political) choices made here unfold from ‘critical performative work’ (Leca and Barin Cruz, 2021) that is motivated by the disconcerting pattern of naturalisation and reproduction of precarity in these spaces. The political economy of the territory thus reveals the conditions for organisations to selectively appropriate and apply techniques according to the conducive solidarity of each happening, thereby reproducing these spatialities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the political economy of the territory: The contradictory responses of organisations to spatial inequality

Lacerda

2021

Organization

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The spatial imaginations of organisations can be particularly insightful for examining power relations. However, only recently they have gone beyond the limits of the workplace, demonstrating the role of the territory for organised action, particularly in mobilising solidarity for resistance. In this article, I investigate power relations revealed by the political economy of the territory to explain contradictory actions undertaken by organisations. Specifically, I adopt the theoretical framework of the noted Brazilian geographer Milton Santos, who recognises spatial multiplicity and fragmentation while maintaining an appreciation of the structural conditions of the political economy. This perspective is particularly useful for the analysis of civil society organisations (CSOs) in a Brazilian favela (slum), given the context of high inequality perpetuated by the selective flows of urban development. First, I show that the history of favelas and their role in the territorial division of labour explain the profiles of existing organisations. Then, I examine how the political engagement of CSOs with distinct solidarities results in a dialectical tension that leads to both resistance based on local shared interests and the active reproduction of central spaces even if the ends are not shared. The article contributes to the literature of space and organisations by explaining how territorial dynamics mediate power relations within and across organisations, not only as resistance but also as the active reproduction of economic and political regimes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the political economy of the territory: The contradictory responses of organisations to spatial inequality

Lacerda

2021

Organization

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“…In so doing, the research moved away from the heroization of specific individuals to the often mundane, effortful, diverse, cumulative and complex works undertaken by multiple actors to change institutions (e.g. Leca and Barin Cruz, 2021; Zietsma and Lawrence, 2010).…”

Section: Theorizing Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Expanding public sector performance measurement and management research with actor-centred approaches in new institutionalism

Leca,

Laguecir

2023

JPBAFM

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PurposeIn his 2022 paper, in the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management, Sven Modell reviews and reflects on the public sector's institutional research dealing with performance measurement and management (PMM) over the past decade. Modell suggests potential extensions of this body of research. This paper seeks to contribute to the path that Modell initiated. It offers directions in which institutional theory might contribute further to research on agentic aspects of PMM in the public sector.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a rejoinder emphasizing how institutional theory could further nurture reflection on PMM research in the public sector. The authors draw upon Modell's article and ongoing research in the institutional theory field.FindingsModell insists that institutional research on PMM in the public sector should explore the constitutive effects of PMM practices while conceiving such practices as institutionally embedded phenomena. The authors seek to extend this approach by considering the role of agency in institutional processes. To do this, the authors build on recent institutional research on agency, discussing how those new conceptualizations could nurture and develop the understanding of PMM practices in the public sector. The authors further discuss implications for coupling and decoupling as sites of agency. Such literature is relevant for examining emerging themes in public-sector accounting because it allows the authors to better conceptualize the underlying mechanisms of agency in the context of public service provision characterized by institutional complexity.Originality/valueThis paper details several implications of the current developments in new institutional theory in examining agency in the relationship between institutions and PMM, pointing at the case of decoupling. In so doing, the authors seek to stimulate a constructive exchange between public-sector accounting and a broader institutionalist body of research and suggest ways of extending the PMM research agenda.

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“…The framework summarized in Figure 1 also provides a foundation for developing intervention-oriented knowledge to foster social change and more humane managerial practices. Our integrative review extends a long-standing debate on how to increase the PO literature's impact in promoting and developing more humane managerial practices (Fournier and Grey, 2000;Leca and Barin Cruz, 2021;Spicer et al, 2009;Wickert and Schaefer, 2015). In doing so, we deliberately stayed away from theoretical discussions about concepts and assumptions behind, for example, 'critical performativity' (e.g.…”

Section: Fostering Engagement and Social Change As A Key Attributes O...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This point is especially articulated by scholars in the ‘critical performativity’ stream in the PO literature (Spicer et al, 2016). Accordingly, PO scholars increasingly acknowledge the importance of developing interventions for OC (King and Land, 2018), but this discourse has thus far remained rather theoretical (Leca and Barin Cruz, 2021). It includes extensive conceptual discussions on, for instance, the assumptions behind performativity (e.g.…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Enabling Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, the few studies that have addressed the enabling side of power are predominantly conceptual in nature (Carlsen et al, 2020; Haugaard, 2020; Hosking, 2011; Huault et al, 2014; Pansardi and Bindi, 2021; Wartenberg, 1990). Whereas several scholars have called for revitalizing the field of organizational power by adopting a practice-oriented mindset and approach (Alvesson and Spicer, 2012; King and Land, 2018; Spicer et al, 2009), the literature on PO provides little guidance on how to accomplish this (Learmonth et al, 2016; Leca and Barin Cruz, 2021). Interestingly, a large body of intervention-oriented research on organizational change (OC) and organizational behavior (OB) focuses on how to foster and apply enabling power within organizations (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Power as an enabling force: An integrative review

et al. 2022

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The power literature’s focus on questioning power relations has gone at the expense of deliberate attempts to improve organizational practices. How can critical performativity and other scholars address power as an enabling force, thereby also allowing for more engagement with practitioners? We integrate the literature on power in and around organizations with studies of organizational change and behavior. By focusing on enabling instead of restrictive power, we draw attention to the potentially pivotal role of key actors—managers, other practitioners, and scholars—in fostering empowerment and emancipation within organizations. Our review points at four social mechanisms that drive enabling power: formal authority, language shaping action, community formation, and the dynamics of safety and trust. Furthermore, we identify various types of actions which can trigger these mechanisms that, in turn, may give rise to outcomes such as empowerment and emancipation. The main contribution of this paper involves an integrated framework of power as an enabling force. By synthesizing various separate discourses, this framework extends prior reviews focusing on power-over, resulting in a systemic understanding of enabling power and thereby creating novel avenues for research on power. The integrative framework also provides a foundation for an intervention-oriented body of knowledge on enabling power.

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Enabling critical performativity: The role of institutional context and critical performative work

Cited by 9 publications

References 65 publications

Investigating the political economy of the territory: The contradictory responses of organisations to spatial inequality

Investigating the political economy of the territory: The contradictory responses of organisations to spatial inequality

Expanding public sector performance measurement and management research with actor-centred approaches in new institutionalism

Power as an enabling force: An integrative review

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