P. Hancock, Baudrillard and the metaphysics of motivation: A reappraisal of corporate culturalism in the light of the work and ideas of Jean Baudrillard, J MANAG STU, 36(2), 1999, pp. 155-175
This paper considers the implications of the work of the French social theo
rist, Jean Baudrillard, for contemporary strategies of employee management
which focus upon the centrality of culture and its purposeful organization
and dissemination. Starting with an exploration and consideration of the ph
ilosophical assumptions which underpin classical conceptions and models of
employee motivation, it charts the ongoing refinement of these ideas, up to
and including, the current fascination with the promise of corporate cultu
ralism to deliver levels of high employee motivation and commitment. The wo
rk of Jean Baudrillard is then outlined and employed to develop a critical
analysis of not only the philosophical presuppositions which continue to un
derlie the management of motivation but, also, the potential consequences o
f the current fascination with the management of organizational culture as
a means towards increased levels of employee commitment and output.
In conclusion, it suggests that the same postmodernizing process which Baud
rillard identifies as the outcome of the intense mediatization of society i
s also produced and reproduced within the domain of the contemporary work o
rganization, due to the championing of similar strategies of cultural manag
ement, especially by personnel or human resource academics and practitioner
s. Such a development is not, however, greeted with optimism. Rather, it is
suggested that this particular diagnosis of the postmodern condition views
the result as the production and reproduction of a deeply disinterested an
d enervated workforce; one which demonstrates enthusiasm neither for corpor
ate goals nor indeed the furtherance of their own life-projects.