Co-production of management knowledge in/from emerging countries and societies

Abstract

In an era of decolonization and empire the field of management embraced the US-led neoliberal counter-revolution and challenged the Eurocentric theory-practice hierarchy to produce relevant knowledge through managed learning theories. Against the risk of ‘reverse relevance’, this contested reformist and market-centric managerial revolution (MG) against the threat of of ‘reverse relevance’ fostered by emerging barbarians subalternizes southern theories-practices of the multifaceted field of development administrationmanagement (DA) and de-develops the global majority by privileging large corporations and transnational elites. MG is expanded in the 1990s through a post-Washington Consensus social turn based on whitening appropriationcontainment dynamics of Southern developmental neoliberalisms and counter-hegemonic movements informed by dewesternization and decolonial dynamics which challenge-reaffirm racial capitalism structures. In an Age of Development MR is rearticulated in the 2000s in response to ‘irresponsible’ hybridisms in emerging countries and societies triggered by Southern learningunlearning- relearning dynamics. This article investigates co-production of relevant knowledge in Brazil through subversive complicity with a focus on a privileged organization-academy nexus. Analysis shows how managers and researchers (re)mobilize southern theories-practices to co-produce relevance from a transformational-reformist perspective. At the end, we present discussions and suggestions for re-appropriating Southern relevance engaged with the other in emerging/resurging societies in both South and North