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The Moral Work of Subversion.

P.N. Bloom, P.J. White, Paul White Orcid Logo

Human Relations, Volume: 69, Issue: 1, Pages: 5 - 31

Swansea University Author: Paul White Orcid Logo

DOI (Published version): 10.1177/0018726715576041

Abstract

This paper engages critically with dominant understandings of morality and subversion within organizations and through a close examination of existing organisational literature. We show how contemporary organisational literature fails to adequately adequately address the ways in which a given '...

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Published in: Human Relations
Published: 2016
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21898
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last_indexed 2019-09-23T13:27:29Z
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spelling 2019-09-23T11:39:15.3509691 v2 21898 2015-06-02 The Moral Work of Subversion. 5dad17680576ad766df177ee22c54199 0000-0002-6562-4696 Paul White Paul White true false 2015-06-02 BBU This paper engages critically with dominant understandings of morality and subversion within organizations and through a close examination of existing organisational literature. We show how contemporary organisational literature fails to adequately adequately address the ways in which a given 'morality' produces and justifies everyday subversive practices an the means through which it legitimates and stabilises already existing power relations within organisations. Developing work from interactionist sociology, we highlight the means through which subversion legitimates the diverse range of actions performed by organizational subjects through processes of post hoc rationalisation. This rationalisation is of itself a particular form of retrospective reasoning referred to as ‘moralization’, which forms a resource for subjects to actively negotiate the often competing moral and practical demands placed on them as organizational subjects. Subversion, within our analysis represents an important means of accomplishing, legitimating and preserving a given organizational order, rather than assume subversion necessarily subverts organizational values. It is through a close analysis of organisational and theoretical literature that we show the ‘positive’ function of rule-bending for enabling and sedimenting processes of organizational control. Journal Article Human Relations 69 1 5 31 control, interactionism, management, moralization, moral order, organizational theory, rule-bending, subversion 15 1 2016 2016-01-15 10.1177/0018726715576041 COLLEGE NANME Business COLLEGE CODE BBU Swansea University 2019-09-23T11:39:15.3509691 2015-06-02T10:54:36.5229337 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Accounting and Finance P.N. Bloom 1 P.J. White 2 Paul White 0000-0002-6562-4696 3 0021898-17122015114019.pdf WhiteTheMoralWorkofSubversionPostprint.pdf 2015-12-17T11:40:19.3830000 Output 592123 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2015-12-17T00:00:00.0000000 false
title The Moral Work of Subversion.
spellingShingle The Moral Work of Subversion.
Paul White
title_short The Moral Work of Subversion.
title_full The Moral Work of Subversion.
title_fullStr The Moral Work of Subversion.
title_full_unstemmed The Moral Work of Subversion.
title_sort The Moral Work of Subversion.
author_id_str_mv 5dad17680576ad766df177ee22c54199
author_id_fullname_str_mv 5dad17680576ad766df177ee22c54199_***_Paul White
author Paul White
author2 P.N. Bloom
P.J. White
Paul White
format Journal article
container_title Human Relations
container_volume 69
container_issue 1
container_start_page 5
publishDate 2016
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.1177/0018726715576041
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Accounting and Finance{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Accounting and Finance
document_store_str 1
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description This paper engages critically with dominant understandings of morality and subversion within organizations and through a close examination of existing organisational literature. We show how contemporary organisational literature fails to adequately adequately address the ways in which a given 'morality' produces and justifies everyday subversive practices an the means through which it legitimates and stabilises already existing power relations within organisations. Developing work from interactionist sociology, we highlight the means through which subversion legitimates the diverse range of actions performed by organizational subjects through processes of post hoc rationalisation. This rationalisation is of itself a particular form of retrospective reasoning referred to as ‘moralization’, which forms a resource for subjects to actively negotiate the often competing moral and practical demands placed on them as organizational subjects. Subversion, within our analysis represents an important means of accomplishing, legitimating and preserving a given organizational order, rather than assume subversion necessarily subverts organizational values. It is through a close analysis of organisational and theoretical literature that we show the ‘positive’ function of rule-bending for enabling and sedimenting processes of organizational control.
published_date 2016-01-15T03:26:01Z
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score 11.016235

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