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Capitalism, Social Privilege and Managerial Ideologies

In line with an old and still growing tradition, Capitalism, Social Privilege and Managerial Ideologies offers a broad critique of a large body of managerial literature. Gantman describes managerial thought not as a scientific endeavour, an image propagated by management scholars and practitioners, but as an ideological weapon, aimed mainly at legitimizing specific forms of capitalism, and at bolstering the occupational power of management consultants. Theoretically, the book derives from the sociology of knowledge and from critical theory, and offers mainly a second-order analysis of the managerial, or administrative, literature. Yet at times Gantman takes a more active role, and utilizes empirical work within the managerial literature to try and counter what he sees as the ideological biases expressed by other participants in the managerial discourse. At the end of the book, the author even offers empirical guidelines to examine the degree of ‘fictionalization’ embedded in specific managerial ideologies. He defines this term as ‘the lack of correspondence between the statements of the ideologies and factual reality’ (p. 146). In his most original theoretical contribution, Gantman claims that instead of ever greater empirical rigour or treatment of real social problems, managerial thought exhibits an increasing tendency towards fictionalization. The book is broadly structured according to the historical phases of capitalism and to the corresponding administrative ideologies, and this structure helps the reader navigate the chapters. There is a lot to be said for Gantman’s ambitious project. The breadth of the literature he covers is impressive, his writing is engaging, and he also offers informative tables and figures that help the reader follow his sometimes complex theoretical discussions. The author locates managerial discourse within its historical context, and identifies three main phases in the development of capitalism: liberal, organized and disorganized. Each of these stages evinces what Gantman calls ‘a