Corporate Culture

The article subjects the assumptions and prescriptions of the ‘Corporate Culture’ literature to critical scrutiny. The 1 of the article is 2 to teasing out the distinctive basis of its appeal 3 with earlier management 4. It is seen to build upon earlier efforts (eg ‘theory Y’) to constitute a self-disciplining form of employee subjectivity by asserting that ‘practical autonomy’ is 5 upon the development of a strong corporate culture. The paper illuminates the dark side of this project by drawing 6 to the subjugating and totalitarian 7 of its excellence/quality prescriptions. To this 8, 9 are drawn with the philosophy of control favoured by the Party in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Specifically, the paper critiques the doublethink’ contention that autonomy can be realized in monocultural conditions that systematically 10 opportunities to wrestle with competing values standpoints and their associated life projects.