IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v40y2003i2p377-401.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Toggling with Taylor: A Different Approach to Reading a Management Text

Author

Listed:
  • Nanette Monin
  • David Barry
  • D. John Monin

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper identifies influential, but previously unrecognized, subtexts in the writings of Frederick Winslow Taylor. Working with analytical methods developed from reader‐response theories of literary criticism, we look at the words of the text as we share the standard meaning‐making of the management community, as well as through the words of the text searching out the worldview that emerges from our particular reading of the subtext. We have described our approach to reading as ‘toggling’: that is, switching between reading text ‘rhetorically’ and reading it ‘philosophically’. We conclude that reader identification with textual voices may appear in philosophical as well as rhetorical reading outcomes – that Taylor's text may inveigle readers into accepting a moral worldview wrapped up in a seemingly rational argument – and that ‘toggling’ would empower management theory readers.

Suggested Citation

  • Nanette Monin & David Barry & D. John Monin, 2003. "Toggling with Taylor: A Different Approach to Reading a Management Text," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 377-401, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:40:y:2003:i:2:p:377-401
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-6486.00344
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00344
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-6486.00344?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keith Grint & Peter Case, 1998. "The Violent Rhetoric of Re‐engineering: Management Consultancy on the Offensive," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5), pages 557-577, September.
    2. Bradley G. Jackson, 1999. "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg?: A Rhetorical Critique of Stephen Covey and the Effectiveness Movement," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 353-377, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lutz Preuss & David Dawson, 2009. "On the Quality and Legitimacy of Green Narratives in Business: A Framework for Evaluation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 135-149, January.
    2. Michal Zawadzki, 2013. "Konsekwencje zalozen funkcjonalistycznych w epistemologii kultury organizacyjnej. Perspektywa nurtu krytycznego w naukach o zarzadzaniu (The consequences of functionalist assumptions in the epistemolo," Problemy Zarzadzania, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 11(44), pages 58-74.
    3. Sara L. McGaughey, 2006. "Reading as a method of inquiry: Representations of the born global," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 461-480, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Higgins, Colin & Walker, Robyn, 2012. "Ethos, logos, pathos: Strategies of persuasion in social/environmental reports," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 194-208.
    2. La Torre, Matteo & Dumay, John & Rea, Michele Antonio & Abhayawansa, Subhash, 2020. "A journey towards a safe harbour: The rhetorical process of the International Integrated Reporting Council," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    3. Heusinkveld, Stefan & Visscher, Klaasjan, 2012. "Practice what you preach: How consultants frame management concepts as enacted practice," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 285-297.
    4. Françoise Dany, 2003. "Cadres et entrepreneuriat. Mythes et réalités Actes de la journée d'étude du 6 juin 2002," Post-Print hal-03720398, HAL.
    5. Hislop, Donald, 2002. "The client role in consultancy relations during the appropriation of technological innovations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 657-671, July.
    6. Thibaut Bardon & Stewart Clegg & Emmanuel Josserand, 2012. "Exploring identity construction from a critical management perspective: a research agenda," Post-Print hal-00949864, HAL.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:40:y:2003:i:2:p:377-401. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-2380 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.