Humiliation: A standard organizational product?

Barbara Czarniawska

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, 2008, vol. 19, issue 7, 1034-1053

Abstract: Humiliation is treated as a random event, an error in a modern organization. This paper claim is to the contrary—that humiliation, legitimate or not, is a standard organizational by-product, considered to be an unavoidable if regrettable effect of power. The paper presents examples of organizational humiliation and discusses it in the terms of a social act and of an emotion. Contrary to what might be expected, humiliation is not limited to personnel issues; budget and accounting procedures are also arenas permitting humiliation to be produced. The pervasiveness of the phenomenon is scrutinized, ending with a plea for non-instrumental approach to negative phenomena in organizations.

Keywords: Humiliation; Power; Constructionism; Narratives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:19:y:2008:i:7:p:1034-1053

DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2007.01.004

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