The Shame of Reason in Organizational Change [recurso electrónico] : A Levinassian Perspective / by Naud van der Ven.

Contents -- Editing translator’s introduction -- Preface; T he Shame of Reason in Organizational Change: a Levinasian Perspective -- Chapter 1 -- : Introduction -- Chapter 2   Rationality: A Problem? -- Section 1: Problematic Rationality in Organization Studies -- Section 2: Problematic Rationality In Philosophy -- Chapter 3: Two Alternatives to  Representationalism -- Chapter 4  Levinas on Rationality and Representation -- Section 1: Levinas on Representational Thought Handed Down to Him --  Section 2: The Position of Representation in Levinas’ own Philosophy -- Chapter 5  Levinas Translated to Organizations -- Section I: The Organisation Studies Literature -- Section 2: Cases -- Chapter 6 Conclusion.-Afterword -- Index -- Abbreviations used for the Works of Levinas -- Consulted Works.

Many problems associated with change in organizations can be traced back to the human factor. In the past, the worker was considered merely to be ‘a pair of hands’ (Henry Ford). Today, people wish to be taken seriously, if they are, they generally perform better. However, if organizations’ only motivation to focus on the workers’ sense of fulfilment is increased achievement, the question arises whether these organizations do in fact take their workers seriously or whether the latter merely become enlisted into the organization’s targets or schemes. This book examines this question from the perspective of Emmanuel Levinas’ treatment of rationality. There are close similarities between the Levinassian description of rational thinking and the role of managers in organizations. Rationality makes the world controllable yet is totalitarian in character. Likewise, managers make their businesses controllable, yet their planning and schemes create a totalitarian straitjacket.

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