STRENGTH IS IGNORANCE - SLAVERY IS FREEDOM - MANAGING CULTURE IN MODERN ORGANIZATIONS

The article subjects the assumptions and prescriptions of the ''Corpor ate Culture' literature to critical scrutiny. The body of the article is devoted to teasing out the distinctive basis of its appeal compared with earlier management theory. It is seen to build upon earlier effo rts (e.g. 'theory Y') to constitute a self-disciplining form of employ ee subjectivity by asserting that ''practical autonomy'' is conditiona l upon the development of a strong corporate culture. The paper illumi nates the dark side of this project by drawing attention to the subjug ating and totalitarian implications of its excellence/quality prescrip tions. To this end, parallels 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 constrain o pportunities to wrestle with competing values standpoints and their as sociated life projects.