This paper seeks to legitimize the research done by CMS (Critical Management Studies) as an alternative to organizational cultural studies. For this purpose, I classify traditional research on organizational culture into four cells and emphasize the significance of organizational culture studies by CMS.
Organizational culture is generally defined as “the set of values, rules, and beliefs that are internalized and shared by the members of an organization.”
In administrative science, organizational culture (corporate culture) has been seen as the source of corporate competitiveness and has therefore emphasized the loyalty of members and the sense of unity. After E. H. Schein presented the multi-leveled concept of organizational culture, scholars have continued to elaborate on this theory.
In the development of organizational culture theory, Schein’s model became quite famous. Most of scholars in this field mention it as the starting point of their debates with the result that Schein’s model came to be the target of many criticisms. These criticisms can be roughly divided into two groups.
First is the criticism by G. Morgan and M.J. Hatch from organizational symbolism, and P. Gagliardi and A. Strati from organizational aesthetics. They pointed out that each member of organization could interpret symbol differently in contrast to a sense of unity brought by the cultural conformity assumed by Schein. Secondly, CMS takes a skeptical approach with respect to organizational culture different from the criticism described above.
This paper argues the significance of perspectives submitted by CMS. With M. Alvesson as the leading figure, CMS points out the risk of creating cultural addicts by an authority forcefully imprinting culture on members of an organization. Cultural addicts subordinate themselves to existing forms, values and social patterns, viewing existing culture as natural, rational and self-evident; therefore they refrain from considering alternative ways of creating social reality.
Today there are countless scandals caused by organizations such as corporations. Organizational culture is often recognized as the cause, but traditional organizational culture theories other than CMS fail to fully grasp the “negative” aspects of organizational culture.
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