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Hypernormalized Destruction: Making Sense of Why Business Organizations Are Able to Act with Impunity

In: The Absurd Workplace

Author

Listed:
  • Matthijs Bal

    (University of Lincoln)

  • Andy Brookes

    (University of Lincoln)

  • Dieu Hack-Polay

    (University of Lincoln
    Crandall University)

  • Maria Kordowicz

    (University of Lincoln
    University of Nottingham)

  • John Mendy

    (University of Lincoln)

Abstract

Numerous scandals and miscarriages of justice in the UK illustrate how, despite catastrophic failures, organizational and political leaders are rarely held to account for the harms they have caused. This chapter will use the lens of hypernormalization to theorize this problem of impunity. It will explore how compelling narratives and complex bureaucratic systems, ‘Kafkaesque’ in nature, are deliberately constructed to obscure and cast doubt. These surreal and absurd systems, which enable impunity, are sustained through the reproduction of particular forms of corporate speak. The discussion also contributes to the wider debate about the limitations of contemporary democratic institutions, including those in the workplace, to hold those in power to account. The chapter ends by imagining the types of social transformation required to address these problems of impunity and injustice.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthijs Bal & Andy Brookes & Dieu Hack-Polay & Maria Kordowicz & John Mendy, 2023. "Hypernormalized Destruction: Making Sense of Why Business Organizations Are Able to Act with Impunity," Springer Books, in: The Absurd Workplace, chapter 7, pages 147-173, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-17887-0_7
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-17887-0_7
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