"Peters is ... the father of the post-modern corporation."
Why do people follow Gurus?One explanation can be the search for meaning in life. They offer fulfilment and promise a peaceful and happy life .
Herein the emphasis lies on management Gurus. Can we transfer the above to a management context? In management we follow rules, rituals and symbols. Every morning we are called to the holy mass, worshipping the corporate identity manual and confessing our companies inability to
keep the promise of short delivery times to our customer . Our consultant will teach us by showing us how we can improve quality, reduce wastage and improve happiness in our jobs.
Tom Peters with his work on "excellent companies" lay the foundation of the work presented. Utilizing postmodernist techniques, the author challenges the teachings of the so called management gurus.
Decentering, deconstructing and reflecting back on itself the author critically re-evaluates his personal guru. As a result a new perception of the circle commonly known as management gurus materializes and the insights gained are to be used as a tool in modern management.
Are modern managers mislead in their thinking by following the wrong ideas?
Table of Contents
1) How do we recognise a Guru if we see one?
2) The chosen One - Tomas Peters, the preacher of a new religion
a) What makes this person a Guru?
3) Me without you
4) The making of a Guru or what I have learned about the Guru
5) Insights about the process
6) The real me
Target Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this work is to critically examine the concept of a "management guru" by deconstructing the status and influence of Thomas Peters. Through a post-modern lens, the author explores how the perception of such a figure is socially constructed and relies on an audience, timing, and environmental factors rather than just individual expertise.
- Critical deconstruction of the "management guru" phenomenon.
- Analysis of Thomas Peters as a case study for modern corporate leadership.
- Investigation of the role of the audience in establishing guru status.
- Application of post-modern concepts like "Différance" and "de-centring the self".
- Reflexive inquiry into the observer's own assumptions and learning process.
Excerpt from the Book
3) Me without you
Clearly Peters has used writing as an extension of the spoken word in order to reach more followers for his message. He himself is a de-constructor. In his work he analyses the factors that make companies successful by looking at the components they are built from. But can Peters exist as a Guru by himself? In my understanding the Guru exists in a vivid environment. The self is more than just the Guru, but includes his environment too. De-centring the self therefore means to extend this method to the environment too. Following I will do so by finding a number of traces that unearth the non-visible elements that unify the Guru with his environment.
a) As we hold the books that Peters has written in our hands we see him as the author. However, an author can not exist without its audience. Peters is described as a Guru, a teacher. Like any other teacher his lessons would be senseless if there wasn’t any audience. The audience needs to be specific, not just any audience. The Guru requires the audience to be thirsty for his wisdom. There needs be appreciation of this new religion taught by this preacher of management practices. Here, one Author is having a massive number of worshippers. In Search of Excellence has sold more than three million copies. It is us, the audience that is in the centre of attention of the author, not vice versa. However, it is the author that is perceived as a Guru; so clearly, audience is more important than he himself and he has written his books for us, those who want to learn.
Summary of Chapters
1) How do we recognise a Guru if we see one?: This chapter explores the etymological and metaphorical origins of the term "guru," examining how religious concepts of mentorship are transferred into the corporate management context.
2) The chosen One - Tomas Peters, the preacher of a new religion: The author introduces Thomas Peters as the focus of the study, justifying his status as a prominent management guru based on his influential work and industry rankings.
a) What makes this person a Guru?: This section establishes subjective criteria, such as sales figures, media citations, and perceived influence, to assess why Peters is widely recognized as a management expert.
3) Me without you: This chapter deconstructs the Guru’s existence, arguing that a guru cannot exist in isolation but is reliant on a specific audience and environment to sustain his status.
4) The making of a Guru or what I have learned about the Guru: The author reflects on general insights regarding gurus, emphasizing that these figures are often successful storytellers whose narratives are validated by their followers.
5) Insights about the process: This section discusses the author's methodological experience in applying post-modern deconstruction tools to analyze corporate figures and the resulting shift in critical awareness.
6) The real me: The final chapter concludes with a reflexive look at the author's personal transformation, noting that the act of critique has challenged the author's initial perceptions and empowered a more skeptical view of authority.
Keywords
Management Guru, Thomas Peters, Deconstruction, Post-modernism, Différance, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Reflexivity, Audience, Critical Thinking, Self-realisation, Knowledge, Expert, Authority, Symbolism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The paper focuses on deconstructing the social and cultural status of "management gurus," using Thomas Peters as a case study to investigate how such figures gain and maintain their influence.
Which thematic areas does the work cover?
The work covers management theory, the sociology of corporate leadership, post-modern philosophy, the relationship between authors and audiences, and the concept of reflexivity in academic inquiry.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to analyze the "guru" phenomenon by challenging the assumption that guru status is innate, instead exploring how it is created through external factors like audience perception and market demand.
What methodology is employed in this study?
The study employs a post-modern, qualitative methodology, specifically using the deconstruction of the subject and the concept of "Différance" to expose the underlying structures that define a guru.
What is discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines the recognition of gurus, the specific influence of Thomas Peters, the necessity of an audience for guru status, and the author's personal reflections on the deconstruction process.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as management guru, deconstruction, post-modernism, reflexivity, corporate culture, and audience influence.
How does the author define the relationship between the Guru and the audience?
The author argues that the audience is paramount; a guru essentially requires a "thirsty" audience to validate his wisdom, meaning the audience is arguably more important than the individual designated as the guru.
How did the deconstruction process affect the author’s own perspective?
The process shifted the author's view from a passive reader of management literature to a critical observer who challenges the wisdom sold by gurus, ultimately viewing Peters as a "fallen angel."
- Quote paper
- BA (Hons) International Management Stefan Pertz (Author), 2005, The guru in me - Critical perspectives on management, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/34976
