Post bureaucracy and the politics of forgetting: The management of change at the BBC, 1991‐2002
29 May 2007-Journal of Organizational Change Management (Emerald Group Publishing Limited)-Vol. 20, Iss: 3, pp 290-303
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the imputed fall and subsequent reformation of the BBC during the 1990s, relating a managerialist "politics of forgetting" to the broader ideological narratives of "the post bureaucratic turn".
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the imputed “fall” and subsequent “reinvention” of the BBC during the 1990s, relating a managerialist “politics of forgetting” to the broader ideological narratives of “the post bureaucratic turn”Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, combining case study analysis with long‐term historical perspectives on organisational changeFindings – The paper shows the ways in which public sector professionals contested “post bureaucratic” pressures for marketisation and organisational disaggregationOriginality/value – The paper shows the ways in which large‐scale technological, regulatory and organisational change was mediated by cultural continuities and recurrent “surges” of managerial control
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TL;DR: The notion of postbureaucratic organization has been employed in organization theory to denote a number of movements beyond the control mechanisms of the bureaucratic organization as discussed by the authors. But it has not been applied to technology studies by Friedrich Kittler to examine control in two archetypical organizational configurations.
Abstract: The notion of the postbureaucratic organization has been employed in organization theory to denote a number of movements beyond the control mechanisms of the bureaucratic organization. This article aims to use the notions of the symbolic and the imaginary, developed by the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan and applied to technology studies by Friedrich Kittler, when examining control in these two archetypical organizational configurations. The article argues that the departure from the use of written documents, scripts, and protocols and the increasing emphasis on identity, culture, ideology, and other unobtrusive forms of control can be examined in terms of being a change of emphasis from the symbolic to the imaginary register, from the register of language to the register of images.
60 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a reflection on organizational oblivion, viewed as an archetypical antonym of learning, is presented, and the consequences of this kind of forgetting for organizational identity construction are described as a narrative project.
Abstract: This article is a reflection on organizational oblivion, viewed as an archetypical antonym of learning. The consequences of this kind of forgetting for organizational identity construction are described as a narrative project. We refer to the image of Lethe, an archetype of forgetting, to depict how forgetting directly affects the process of identity narrative construction. In this perspective, drinking from the waters of Lethe implies not just the loss of knowledge or memories of how things are done, but the loss of identity so that the individuals do not know who they are anymore. In this context, forgetting disrupts organizational narrative which ceases to be a coherent story and results in organizational identity loss.
30 citations
Cites background from "Post bureaucracy and the politics o..."
...Harris and Wegg-Prosser (2007) describe forgetting as bringing discontinuity to the organization....
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Book•
27 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the moral, professional, and social values associated with bureaucratic models in different organizational contexts and offer new insights into enduring questions, such as: Do contemporary forms and means of communication undermine or modify bureaucracy, or does technology create new 'iron cages' and forms of control? If bureaucratic models of organization are abandoned, do we run risks of organizational failure and inequity?
Abstract: Bureaucracy has long been a cornerstone of advanced industrial societies, and a defining feature of modernity. At the same time, many commentators from all quarters argue that it is on the wane in this post-this or that world; or that if it isn't, it should be dismantled to free up organizations, enterprise, and innovation. But do we live in a more or less bureaucratic world? Do contemporary forms and means of communication undermine or modify bureaucracy, or does technology create new 'iron cages' and forms of control? If bureaucratic models of organization are abandoned, do we run risks of organizational failure and inequity? Are there certain moral, professional, and social values associated with bureaucratic models? This book explores these issues in different organizational contexts - public administration, the National Health Service, the modern firm and corporation - and offers new insights into enduring questions. It will be an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, and students in organization studies, management, public administration, and sociology. The volume will also appeal to managers, planners, and policy makers who deal with these challenges.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the way in which the economic rationalities of the Peacock Committee were translated into the BBC through Producer Choice, a new form of governmentality that largely rejected the BBC's Reithian legacy.
Abstract: This article explores the changes that took place in the BBC during the late 1980s and 1990s. The paper traces the antecedents to the changes, particularly a report prepared by McKinsey, the management consulting firm, in the early 1970s. Many of the problems identified by McKinsey were tackled a generation later, although using strikingly different methods from those advocated by the consulting firm. The second section of the paper focuses on the policy interventions made by the Peacock Committee, an application of public choice economics to broadcasting. A key insight of this paper is to explore the way in which the economic rationalities of the Peacock Committee were translated into the BBC through Producer Choice.Producer Choice constituted a new form of governmentality that largely rejected the BBC's Reithian legacy. It was a radical initiative that delegitimised the status quo. The paper explores how new languages and accounting numbers constructed new spaces for managerialism across the BBC. The ar...
22 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors omitted copies of the articles in this version of the thesis from the full bibliographic details including DOI's and URL's for the articles can be found in Appendix 2.
Abstract: This is a PhD by Publication. Due to copyright restrictions, copies of the articles have been omitted in this version of the thesis. Full bibliographic details including DOI's and URL's for the articles can be found in Appendix 2.
21 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 1989
TL;DR: Postmodernism has been particularly important in acknowledging 'the multiple forms of otherness as they emerge from differences in subjectivity, gender and sexuality, race and class, temporal and spatial geographic locations and dislocations'.
Abstract: Postmodernism has been particularly important in acknowledging 'the multiple forms of otherness as they emerge from differences in subjectivity, gender and sexuality, race and class, temporal and spatial geographic locations and dislocations'. Postmodernism also ought to be looked at as mimetic of the social, economic, and political practices in society. The meta-narratives that the postmodernists decry were much more open, nuanced, and sophisticated than the critics admit. The rhetoric of postmodernism is dangerous for it avoids confronting the realities of political economy and the circumstances of global power. The sharp categorical distinction between modernism and postmodernism disappears, to be replaced by an examination of the flux of internal relations within capitalism as a whole. The reproduction of the social and symbolic order through the exploration of difference and 'otherness' is all too evident in the climate of postmodernism.
6,899 citations
"Post bureaucracy and the politics o..." refers background in this paper
...Comment on the “end” of bureaucracy is derived from the view that bureaucratic rationalisation can no longer provide a viable basis for organising in the current context of radical uncertainty and turbulent change ( Harvey, 1989...
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TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptualization of workflow formalization is proposed to reconcile the contrasting assessments of bureaucracy as alienating to employees or as enabling them to perform their tasks better, and they suggest some ways in which this typology can be extended beyond workflow formalisation to other facets of bureaucracy such as internal labor markets, hierarchy, and the role of staff functions.
Abstract: This research was supported by several companies affiliated with the Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association. Research assistance was provided by Emmeline DePillis. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1991 Academy of Management meeting. Several colleagues have helped us clarify the argument, in particular, Chris Argyris, Warren Bennis, Ed Lawler, Dick Scott, and Bob Sutton. We owe thanks too for helpful comments from Lotte Bailyn, Daniel Bell, Alan Kantrow, Melvin Kohn, Arie Lewin, Walter Nord, George Strauss, Marcie Tyre, Bart Victor, and Mayer Zald. This version owes much to the insightful comments of Steve Barley and the referees. This article proposes a conceptualization of workflow formalization that helps reconcile the contrasting assessments of bureaucracy as alienating to employees or as enabling them to perform their tasks better. Interpreting formalization as an organizational technology, we use recent research on the design of equipment technology to identify two types of formalization-enabling and coercive. Whether the impact of formalization on employees' attitudes is positive or negative is, we argue, a function of whether that formalization enables employees better to master their tasks or functions as a means by which management attempts to coerce employees' effort and compliance. We identify some forces that tend to discourage the enabling orientation to the benefit of the coercive orientation, as well as some persistent countertendencies that encourage the enabling orientation. We suggest some ways in which this typology can be extended beyond workflow formalization to other facets of bureaucracy such as internal labor markets, hierarchy, and the role of staff functions.*
1,902 citations
"Post bureaucracy and the politics o..." refers background in this paper
...Comment on “hybrid political regimes” and “democratic hierarchies” is centred on the long-standing question of how organisations combine centralised control and co-ordination of resources with the need for more flexible forms ( Adler and Borys, 1996...
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Book•
01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an up-to-date analysis around three main themes: 1. the transfer of private sector models to the public sector 2. the management of change in public sector 3. management reorganization and role change.
Abstract: This book analyses changes which have occurred in the organization and management of the UK public services over the last 15 years, looking particularly at the restructured NHS. The authors present an up to date analysis around three main themes: 1. the transfer of private sector models to the public sector 2. the management of change in the public sector 3. management reorganization and role change In doing so they examine to what extent a New Public Management has emerged and ask whether this is a parochial UK development or of wider international significance. This is a topical and important issue in management training, professional and policy circles. Important analytic themes include: an analysis of the nature of the change process in the UK public services: characterisation of quasi markets; the changing role of local Boards and possible adaptation by professional groupings. The book also addresses the important and controversial question of accountability, and contributes to the development of a general theory of the New Public Management.
1,877 citations
TL;DR: This paper set out the author's view of discourse analysis and illustrates the approach with an analysis of discursive aspects of marketization of public discourse in contemporary Britain, specifi cally.
Abstract: This paper sets out the author's view of discourse analysis and illustrates the approach with an analysis of discursive aspects of marketization of public discourse in contemporary Britain, specifi...
1,436 citations