The enemy within: The legitimating role of local managerial elites in the global managerial colonization of the Global South

Abstract

This paper contributes to the drive to decolonize management and organization knowledge by unpacking the role played by indigenous managerial elites in the global managerial colonization of the Global South. We focus on the narratives managerial elites construct to legitimate managerialism to a dissenting population. We conducted an ethnographic study of efforts by members of the city council of Yaoundé, in Cameroon to implement and legitimate a global managerial intervention. Our findings show that to successfully legitimate the imposition of managerialism to a dissenting populace, managerial elites construct hybrid narratives. These hybrid narratives are not ignorant of the local context and are particularly potent because of the manner in which they factor in some local concerns, making the managerialist intervention more palatable to locals and yet continuing to impose a foreign way of life.

Maria Ester de Freitas beyond pioneerism: critique and “Brasilidade” in organization studies

“…Furthermore, the Brazilian context has been shaped by an "excess of alterity" (for a detailed definition of this term, Santos, 2007), implied by the heterogeneity and fluidity of identities found within our society that was triggered by the peculiarities of our colonization. This context also implies a hybrid and ambivalent nature that raises extra challenges when re-imagining local responsible managerial practices (see Toivonen & Seremani, 2021;Yousfi, 2021). We show that Ester was extremely skillful and resourceful in portraying the complex conditions of the Brazilian society shaped by such characteristics, therefore making a potential contribution to questioning and rethinking managerial practices in similar contexts within the Global South.…”

Maria Ester de Freitas para além do pioneirismo: crítica e “brasilidade” nos estudos organizacionais

“…Além disso, o contexto brasileiro em particular tem sido moldado por um "excesso de alteridade" (para uma definição detalhada deste termo, Santos, 2007), implicado na heterogeneidade e fluidez das identidades encontradas em nossa sociedade que foi desencadeada pelas peculiaridades de nossa colonização. Esse contexto também implica uma natureza híbrida e ambivalente que levanta desafios extras ao reimaginar as práticas locais de gestão responsável (ver Toivonen & Seremani, 2021;Yousfi, 2021). Neste ensaio, mostramos que Ester foi extremamente habilidosa e engenhosa ao retratar as complexas condições da sociedade brasileira moldadas por tais características, oferecendo, portanto, uma contribuição potencial para questionar e repensar as práticas gerenciais em contextos semelhantes do Sul Global.…”