Triumph of Emptiness

In today''s world, considerable time and effort is devoted to appearance, both for individuals and organizations; the right look, an impressive title, a favourable connection. The focus is on the surface, with considerations of substance often overlooked. In this book, Mats Alvesson demystifies some popular and upbeat claims about a range of phenomena, including the knowledge society, consumption, branding, higher education, organizational change, professionalization, and leadership. He contends that a culture of ''grandiosity'' is leading to numerous inflated claims. We no longer talk about plans but ''strategies''. Supervisors have been replaced by ''managers'', and managers are referred to as ''executives''. Management itself is about ''leadership''. Giving advice is ''coaching''. Companies become ''knowledge-intensive firms''. This book views the contemporary economy as an economy of persuasion, where firms and other institutions increasingly assign talent, energy, and resources