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| 2. |
- Ahl, Helene, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the false promise of entrepreneurship through a postfeminist critique of the enterprise policy discourse in Sweden and the UK
- 2021
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : Sage Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 74:1, s. 41-68
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contemporary theories of neoliberalism and entrepreneurship are entwined; both hinge upon the use of agency within free markets to realize individual potential, enhance status and attain material rewards. Postfeminism, as a discrete but related discourse, suggests this context is conducive to encouraging women to draw upon their agency, skills and personal profile to enhance achievements and returns. We draw from these related, but discrete discourses, when critically analysing how postfeminist assumptions shape Swedish and UK government policies aimed at expanding women’s entrepreneurship. Despite differing historical antecedents regarding state engagement with equality and welfare regimes, we illustrate how postfeminist assumptions have infiltrated policy initiatives in both cases. This infiltration has, we suggest, suppressed criticisms that in a context of persistent structural discrimination, lack of welfare benefits and contrived aspirational role models, entrepreneurship constitutes a poor career choice for many women. Consequently, we challenge the value of contemporary policy initiatives encouraging more women to enter entrepreneurship.
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| 3. |
- Alvesson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Critical leadership studies: The case for critical performativity
- 2012
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 65:3, s. 367-390
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Existing accounts of leadership are underpinned by two dominant approaches: functionalist studies, which have tried to identify correlations between variables associated with leadership; and interpretive studies, which have tried to trace out the meaning-making process associated with leadership. Eschewing these approaches, we turn to an emerging strand of literature that develops a critical approach to leadership. This literature draws our attention to the dialectics of control and resistance and the ideological aspect of leadership. However, it largely posits a negative critique of leadership. We think this is legitimate and important, but extend this agenda. We posit a performative critique of leadership that emphasizes tactics of circumspect care, progressive pragmatism and searching for present potentialities. We use these tactics to sketch out a practice of deliberated leadership that involves collective reflection on when, what kind and if leadership is appropriate.
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| 4. |
- Alvesson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Decolonializing discourse: Critical reflections on organizational discourse analysis
- 2011
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 64:9, s. 1121-1146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organizational discourse has emerged as a large research field and references to discourse are numerous. As with all dominating approaches problematizations of assumptions are important. This article, partly a follow up of the authors' frequently cited 2000 Human Relations article, provides a critical and perhaps provocative overview of some of the more recent work and tendencies within the field. It is argued that discourse continues to be used in vague and all-embracing ways, where the constitutive effects of discourse are taken for granted rather than problematized and explored. The article identifies three particular problems prevalent in the current organizational discourse literature: reductionism, overpacking, and colonization and suggests three analytical strategies to overcome these problems: counter-balancing concepts - aiming to avoid seeing 'everything' as discourse - relativizing muscularity - being more open about discourse's constitutive effects - and disconnecting discourse and Discourse through much more disciplined use of discourse vocabulary.
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| 5. |
- Alvesson, Mats
(författare)
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Gender relations and identity: Masculinities and femininities at work in an advertising agency
- 1998
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 51:8, s. 969-1005
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The paper explores gender relations and gender identity, based upon an ethnography of a Swedish advertising agency. The organization is of special interest as it has a strong gender division of labor, where men hold all senior posts, at the same time as creative advertising work seems to have much more similarity with what gender studies describe as "femininity" rather than with forms of "masculinity." The paper discusses how gender is constructed in an organizational context. Emphasis on workplace sexuality is related to identity work of men in response to the highly ambiguous and contested context of advertising work. Tendencies toward the "femininization" of the work and client relationships put some strain on (gender) identity for men, triggering a structuring of gender relations and interaction at the workplace to restore feelings of masculinity. The paper problematizes ideas of masculinities and femininities and argues for a rethinking of their roles in nonbureaucratic organizations. Also assumptions about a close connection between domination of masculinity and of males are critically discussed.
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| 6. |
- Alvesson, Mats
(författare)
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Knowledge work : Ambiguity, image and identity
- 2001
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 54:7, s. 863-886
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article takes a sceptical view of the functionalist understanding of the nature and significance of ‘knowledge’ in so-called knowledge- intensive companies. The article emphasizes the slipperiness of the concept of knowledge, the ambiguity of knowledge, its role in what is constructed as knowledge work and the evaluation of work outcomes. Given this ambiguity, the management of rhetoric, image and social processes appears crucial in organizations of this kind. Difficulties in demonstrating competence and performance - as well as the significance of producing the right impression - make work identity difficult to secure. However, this is a key element in doing knowledge work. Successful rhetoric, image production and orchestration of social interactions call for the regulation of employee identities.
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| 7. |
- Alvesson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Managers doing leadership: The extra-ordinarization of the mundane
- 2003
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 56:12, s. 1435-1459
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on a case study of managers in a large, international knowledge-intensive company this article suggests a rethinking of leadership, taking the mundane, almost trivial, aspects of what managers/leaders actually do seriously. In the study, the managers interviewed emphasized the importance of listening and informal chatting. Managers listening to subordinates are assumed to have various positive effects, e.g. people feel more respected, visible and less anonymous, and included in teamwork. Rather than certain acts being significant in themselves, it is their being done by managers that gives them a special, emotional value beyond their everyday significance. Leadership is conceptualized as the extra-ordinarization of the mundane.
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| 8. |
- Alvesson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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Organizational discourse analysis - well done or too rare? A reply to our critics
- 2011
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 64:9, s. 1193-1202
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article we respond to Bargiela-Chiappini, Iedema and Mumby.We notice that there is considerable agreement concerning the state of the art of organizational discourse analysis, while also discussing the disagreements. We expand on some of the ontological issues inherent in our argument, further discuss the character of reductionism in organizational discourse analysis, the trappings of a priori assumptions, and, finally, argue that our critics themselves, perhaps inadvertently, tend to repeat the problematic moves we identified in our original article.
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| 9. |
- Alvesson, Mats
(författare)
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Self-doubters, strugglers, storytellers, surfers and others: Images of self-identities in organization studies
- 2010
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 63:2, s. 193-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article provides an overview of the key images of identity in organizations found in the research literature. Image refers to the overall idea or conceptualization, capturing how researchers relate to - and shape - a phenomenon. Seven images are suggested: self-doubters, strugglers, surfers, storytellers, strategists, stencils and soldiers. These refer to how the individual is metaphorically understood in terms of identity, that is, how the researcher (research text) captures the individual producing a sense of self. The article aims to facilitate orientation - or encourage productive confusion - within the field, encourage reflexivity and sharpen analytic choices through awareness of options for how to conceptualize self-identity constructions.
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| 10. |
- Alvesson, Mats, et al.
(författare)
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The closing of critique, pluralism and reflexivity: A response to Hardy and Grant and some wider reflections
- 2013
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Ingår i: Human Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0018-7267 .- 1741-282X. ; 66:10, s. 1353-1371
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article is a follow-up of Alvesson and Karreman (2011a), which was in itself a follow-up of Alvesson and Karreman (2000), and a response to a critique of the former by Hardy and Grant (2012). The critique is addressed directly and the logic behind it investigated critically. The article also addresses wider concerns regarding the politics of research and publishing and the conditions of critique at the present time. The pressure and eagerness to get published lead to strong subspecialization and an inclination to build research approaches within which authors are inclined to reproduce shared assumptions and be unwelcome to critical explorations. The article points to the risk of assumption-challenging work being marginalized through the anticipation of critique leading to hostile reactions and specialized, politically motivated reviewers blocking the publication of far-reaching critique.
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