Reading the technological society to understand the mechanization of values and its ontological consequences

Lindebaum, Dirk, Moser, Christine, Ashraf, Mehreen and Glaser, Vern 2023. Reading the technological society to understand the mechanization of values and its ontological consequences. Academy of Management Review 48 (3) , pp. 575-592. 10.5465/amr.2021.0159 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

We review Jacques Ellul’s book The Technological Society to highlight ‘technique’ – the book’s central phenomenon – and its theoretical relevance for organizational and institutional theorists. Technique is defined as “the totality of methods rationally arrived at and having absolute efficiency . . . in every field of human activity” in society (1964: xxv, italics added). More than simply ‘machine technology’, technique involves the rational pursuit of standardized means or practices for attaining predetermined results. What makes Ellul both unique and relevant for organizational and institutional theorists is his historical analysis delineating the characteristics of, and the processes through which, technique has evolved into an autonomic and agentic force. We build on and mobilize Ellul’s analysis to explore two aims in this essay. First, we aim to illuminate the process through which technique transforms values – a process we describe as the mechanization of values in organizations and institutions. Second, we identify the consequences of value mechanization for organizational scholarship. We discuss the wider ramifications of Ellul’s work for management theory, practise, and education.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Academy of Management
ISSN:	0363-7425
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	22 August 2022
Date of Acceptance:	30 June 2022
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2023 11:59
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152089

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