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Management is the solution: Now what was the problem? On the fragile basis for managerialism

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  • Alvesson, Mats
  • Sveningsson, Stefan

Abstract

This paper critically investigates the impact and meaning of managerialism in a pharmaceutical firm by exploring its shaky basis. Managers’ explanations of the failure in research leading to new products showed considerable variety. This reflects the absence of any shared understanding of research inefficiencies and difficulties to determine the roots of the problems. Despite this people blame bad management and put hope to improved responsibility of managers. The study highlights the ambiguity of causes of the research inefficiencies and how this is suppressed as well as exploited by the introduction of a vague managerialist agenda.

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  • Alvesson, Mats & Sveningsson, Stefan, 2011. "Management is the solution: Now what was the problem? On the fragile basis for managerialism," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 349-361.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:27:y:2011:i:4:p:349-361
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2011.08.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Guiette, Alain & Vandenbempt, Koen, 2017. "Change managerialism and micro-processes of sensemaking during change implementation," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 65-81.
    2. Waldorff, Susanne Boch, 2013. "Accounting for organizational innovations: Mobilizing institutional logics in translation," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 219-234.
    3. Blom, Martin & Alvesson, Mats, 2014. "Leadership On Demand: Followers as initiators and inhibitors of managerial leadership," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 344-357.
    4. Mats Alvesson & Anna Jonsson, 2022. "Organizational Dischronization: On Meaning and Meaninglessness, Sensemaking and Nonsensemaking," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 724-754, May.

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