Hoodoo Economics: On Management Gurus and Magical Black Men in Postmodern American Culture

Abstract

One of the most striking developments attending the emergence of corporate culture management theory has been the proliferation of so-called management gurus. In contrast to management consultants, management gurus generally work alone, providing dramatic performances to audiences of managers for high fees.2 The term “guru” itself is telling: a Sanskrit word that first appeared in the ancient Hindu Upanishads as a synonym for “teacher,” it gained currency in the West in the 1960s as Eastern mysticism became popular.’ While it is now applied in many fields to individuals with exceptional knowledge, it retains its implication of supernatural forms of wisdom. As business scholar Brad Jackson explains: Compared to the drab scientism imbued in the term ‘expert,’ the word guru connotes a mystical dimension which implies that the expertise has been gained by other than conventional means and is, therefore, infinitely more interesting. Its links to the underground world of religious cults also lends the term a certain sinister power.4 Given the scientific approach to which Frederick Winslow Taylor claimed to adhere in the development of his techniques, it is not surprising that he is often referred to as an “efficiency expert.” Yet Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence, is routinely called a “guru” because of the soft, abstract forces he attempts to marshal on behalf of American management.