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The Frantic Gesture of Interpassivity – Maintaining the separation between the corporate and authentic self

Author

  • Sara Louise Muhr
  • Rasmus Johnsen
  • Michael Pedersen

Summary, in English

Purpose - With the help of Slavoj Zizek's concept of interpassivity, this paper seeks to illustrate the frantic activities performed by employees to maintain a separation between the idea of an authentic self and the idea of a corporate self. Furthermore, this paper aims to illustrate these activities empirically. Design/methodology/approach - The empirical example is based on a case study of three of the largest international consultancy firms. About 50 consultants were interviewed in this study, but this paper primarily focuses on the experiences of one of these consultants, and goes into depth with his experiences to illustrate the frantic mechanisms of interpassivity. Findings - The paper shows how the maintenance of an "authentic self' outside of the corporate culture demands a distinct and frantic activity; that this activity can best be understood as interpassive in the sense that it involves taking over the passive acknowledgement for which someone else is responsible; and how the separation of an authentic from a corporate self, rather than resist the demand to enjoy one's work - prescribed by contemporary management programs - nourishes it. Originality/value - The paper builds on recent literature on cynicism and normative control in organisations. It introduces intetpassivity to this discussion.

Publishing year

2009

Language

English

Pages

202-213

Publication/Series

Journal of Organizational Change Management

Volume

22

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Topic

  • Business Administration

Keywords

  • Cynicism Zizek
  • Interpassivity
  • Consultants
  • Authenticity
  • Fantasy

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0953-4814