Management innovations from a foucauldian perspective: Time to take action

Abstract

Management innovations have attracted considerable attention from both organizational scholars and management practitioners. However, there is a growing disillusionment with managerialist approaches that present management innovations as best practices that should be implemented straightforwardly, for the better. In this context, the Foucauldian perspective on management innovations appears as a valuable critical alternative that (still) deserves to be discussed and extended. In this paper, we offer a rereading of this perspective by rendering the debates raised by Foucauldian studies on management innovations and by providing what appear to us as promising research avenues. Specifically, we propose several directions for further investigating from a Foucauldian lens the new generation of management innovations that are emerging in organizational settings. We also call Foucauldian disciples to adopt a critical performative stance by taking action on the field.