Managerial Strategies of Domination. Power in Soft Bureaucracies

Abstract

This paper discusses the emergence and reinforcement of organizational political regimes based on domination and centralization in French organizations. Domination and power are old concepts in organizational sociology, but the confrontation of two well-known approaches to politics in organizations, that of Weber and that of Crozier, suggests that an `archaic' notion such as domination is still very useful for understanding how business leaders `govern' organizations today. Based on empirical studies, the paper proposes that organizations should be seen as `soft bureaucracies', in which centralization and entrepreneurial forms of governance are combined. Thus, choosing a Weberian point of view, this paper simultaneously describes organizations as `structures of domination' and as `structures of legitimacy'. It defends the idea that, in spite of the success of the network form utopia, the re-emergence of bureaucracies is a sign that organizations are more and more politically centralized and governed.

Stability and change in managerial elites: the institution of management education in Norway from 1936 to 2009

“…The signalling or screening hypothesis suggests that some graduates are viewed as more suited to certain positions in society than others (Arrow 1973, Spence 1973, Stiglitz 1975. In other words, educational backgrounds filter human capital, grant legitimacy and reputational advantage, and, thus, reduce risk for the appointing organisation (Courpasson 2000). It is not necessarily the formal qualifications that are important for management positions, but rather the symbolic effect that certain educational credentials have in society (Bourdieu 1996).…”

“…When selecting CEOs, organisations seek to legitimise their choices in a wider context (Bourdieu 1996, Courpasson 2000. This legitimisation process has several distinctive characteristics that influence whether and how much the institution of management is changed.…”

Rationalizing Creativity—Rationalizing Public Service: Is Scheduling Management Fit for the Digital Era?

“…However, despite significant changes in organizational structures and practices, particularly since the 1970s, Weber's bureaucracy model is still a relevant and valuable analytical tool. For example, although the hierarchical structure may have been adapted, control is achieved, although in different ways (Bagguley, 1991;Briand & Bellemare, 2006;Courpasson, 2000;Heckscher, 1994;Kärreman & Alvesson, 2004;Procter, 2005;Walton, 2005, p. 588). Therefore, although organizations today may be structured differently than in Weber's time, they do not operate according to a radically new "organizing rationality or logic" (Courpasson & Reed, 2004, p. 7).…”

Corporate governance and strategic human resources management in the UK financial services sector: the case of the RBS

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