Using the Critical Management Studies Tenet of Denaturalisation as a Vehicle to Decolonise the Management Discourse in South Africa

Abstract

It has been roughly five years since the #FeesMustFall student protests shook the foundations of higher education in South Africa. However, in the aftermath of these protests, students' demand for the decolonisation of the curriculum, despite initial energy, has seemingly lost momentum. Within the discipline of management and organisation studies, the situation is even more exacerbated, with efforts towards decolonisation being cosmetic at best. However, much criticism has been directed towards the notion of decolonisation for its lack of normative literature. This article suggests that Critical Management Studies (CMS) and, in particular, the CMS notion of denaturalisation, might provide a broad framework for achieving decolonisation. Furthermore, the work of contemporary philosopher Jacques Rancière is proposed as a pragmatic means to denaturalise management thinking to move closer to a truly decolonised management curriculum in South Africa.

Analgésicos organizacionales: Una herramienta de gestión del management funcionalista

“…Adicional al proceso de selección, los directivos producen expectativas sobre salarios, bonificaciones, incentivos, permisos, ascensos. Usualmente se vende la idea de que, aquí, en esta o acuesta empresa, usted tiene la gran oportunidad de lograr crecimiento personal (Goldman, 2020).…”