On the usefulness of Nietzsche to strengthening the critical radicality of Critical Management Studies

Figures & data

Table 1. Papers using only the Nietzschean conceptual framework - sources: EBSCOhost business source complete and Cairn.

Bardon, Thibaut, et Emmanuel Josserand. 2011. « A Nietzschean reading of Foucauldian thinking: constructing a project of the self within an ontology of becoming ». Organization 18 (4): 497‑515.

Chirat, Alexandre. 2017. « Nietzsche et le travail : ce « vice » de notre époque ». Revue de philosophie économique 18 (2): 59‑101.

Dunne, Stephen. 2008. « Corporate Social Responsibility and the Value of Corporate Moral Pragmatism ». Culture and Organization 14 (2): 135‑149.

Freund, James. 2015. « Rev Billy vs. the Market: a sane man in a world of omnipotent fantasies ». Journal of Marketing Management 31 (13‑14): 1529‑1551.

Hillman, Arya L. 2004. « Nietzschean development failures ». Public Choice 119 (3/4): 263‑280.

Hjorth, Daniel, et Alexandra Dawson. 2016. « The Burden of History in the Family Business Organization ». Organization Studies 37 (8): 1089‑1111.

Köllen, Thomas. 2020. « Worshipping equality as organizational idolatry? A Nietzschean view of the normative foundations of the diversity management paradigm ». Scandinavian Journal of Management 36 (2): 1‑9.

Lapied, André, et Sophie Swaton. 2013a. « Sélection naturelle ou volonté de puissance : comment interpréter le processus de destruction créatrice ? » Revue de philosophie économique 14 (2): 43‑65.

Lapied, André, et Sophie Swaton. 2013b. « L’entrepreneur schumpétérien est-il surhumain ? » Cahiers d’économie Politique 65 (2): 183‑202.

Lapied, André, et Sophie Swaton. 2014. « Le cycle de la conjoncture chez Schumpeter : éternel retour du même ? » Revue de philosophie économique 15 (1): 17‑47.

Lapied, André, et Sophie Swaton. 2016. « Que veut Homo œconomicus ? » Revue de philosophie économique 17 (2): 147‑178.

McElwee, Gerard, David Currie, et Peter Somerville. 2012. « Managerialism and Nihilism ». Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry 10 (4): 61‑72.

Morrell, Kevin. 2012. « Evidence-based dialectics ». Organization 19 (4): 461‑479.

Neilson, Francis. 1953. « The Nietzsche-Wagner Rift ». American Journal of Economics & Sociology 12 (2): 211‑217.

Ortmann, Günther, et Jörg Sydow. 2018. « Dancing in chains: Creative practices in/of organizations ». Organization Studies 39 (7): 899‑921.

Painter-Morland, Mollie, et Rosa Slegers. 2018. « Strengthening “Giving Voice to Values” in Business Schools by Reconsidering the “Invisible Hand” Metaphor ». Journal of Business Ethics 147 (4): 807‑819.

Stanisevski, Dragan. 2015. « Agonistic Moderation: Administrating With the Wisdom of Sophrosyne ». Administration & Society 47 (1): 5‑23.

Tajalli, Payman, et Steven Segal. 2019. « A Nietzschean re-evaluation of values as a way of re-imagining business ethics ». Business Ethics: A European Review 28 (2). Wiley-Blackwell: 234‑242.

Townley, Barbara. 1999. « Nietzsche, Competencies and Ubermensch: Reflections on Human and Inhuman Resource Management ». Organization 6 (2): 285‑305.

Ulusoy, Emre. 2016. « Subcultural escapades via music consumption: Identity transformations and extraordinary experiences in Dionysian music subcultures ». Journal of Business Research 69 (1): 244‑254.

Waistell, Jeff. 2007. « Metaphorical Perspectives of Organisational Values ». Culture & Organization 13 (1): 83‑97.

Walters, Melissa. 2004. « Alternative accounting thought and the prison-house of metaphor ». Accounting, Organizations & Society 29 (2): 157.

Worden, Skip. 2009. « A Genealogy of Business Ethics: A Nietzschean Perspective ». Journal of Business Ethics 84 (3): 427‑456.

Table 2. Papers not using exclusively the Nietzschean conceptual framework - sources: EBSCOhost business source complete and Cairn.

Bos, René. 2004. « The Fear of Wolves: Anti-Hodological Ruminations about Organizations and Labyrinths ». Culture & Organization 10 (1): 7‑24.

Costa Lima, Marcos. 2014. « A Conception of the World in Celso Furtado ». International Journal of Political Economy 43 (4): 82‑95.

Cronin, James, et James Fitchett. 2021. « Lunch of the last human: Nutritionally complete food and the fantasies of market-based progress ». Marketing Theory 21 (1): 3‑24.

Cutler, Ian. 2000. « The Cynical Manager ». Management Learning 31 (3): 295.

Elliston, Frederick. 1985. « The Philosopher in the Workplace ». Journal of Business Ethics 4 (4): 331‑339.

Francois, Yolande. 2015. « Essay on the problem of power in organizations: a Nietzschean and Hegelian approach to power. Power management and power led ». Revue internationale de psychosociologie et de gestion des comportements organisationnels, no 52 (juin): 279‑292.

Hacking, Ian. 2002. « Inaugural lecture: Chair of Philosophy and History of Scientific Concepts at the Collège de France, 16 January 2001 ». Economy & Society 31 (1): 1‑14.

Hicks, Steven V. 2009. « 5. The Project of Reconciliation and the Road to Redemption: Hegel’s Social Philosophy and Nietzsche’s Critique ». American Journal of Economics & Sociology 68 (1): 153‑180.

Howe, Louis E. 2002. « Mourning Administrative Generosity in a Postgenerous Time: Lessons From Wallace Shawn’s The Designated Mourner ». Administration & Society 33 (6): 583.

Jørgensen, Kenneth, et David Boje. 2009. « Genealogies of Becoming - Antenarrative Inquiry in Organizations ». Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry 8 (1): 32‑47.

Macintosh, Noirnan B. 2004. « A comment on “Recovering Accounting” ». Critical Perspectives on Accounting 15 (4/5): 529‑541.

Macintosh, Norman B. 2009. « “Effective” Genealogical History: Possibilities for Critical Accounting History Research ». Accounting Historians Journal 36 (1): 1‑27.

McGoey, Linsey. 2007. « On the will to ignorance in bureaucracy ». Economy & Society 36 (2): 212‑235.

Romar, Edward. 2009. « Noble Markets: The Noble/Slave Ethic in Hayek’s Free Market Capitalism ». Journal of Business Ethics 85 (1): 57‑66.

Shionoya, Yuichi. 2009. « The history of economics as economics? ». European Journal of the History of Economic Thought 16 (4): 575‑597.

Stevens, Simon. 2017. « Life and Letting Die: A Story of the Homeless, Autonomy, and Anti-Social Behaviour ». Organization Studies 38 (5): 669‑690.

Vine, Tom. 2020. « Brexit, Trumpism and paradox: Epistemological lessons for the critical consensus ». Organization 27 (3): 466‑482.

Walle, Alf H. 2001. « Machiavelli, humanistic empiricism and marketing research ». Management Decision 39 (5): 403.

Walton, Clarence C. 1993. « Business Ethics and Postmodernism: A Dangerous Dalliance ». Business Ethics Quarterly 3 (3): 285‑305.

Wray-Bliss, Edward. 2019. « Redeeming organisational soul ». Organization 26 (1): 55‑74.

Table 3. Background, principles and stages of the application of the Nietzschean genealogy. Sources: based on Blondel (2006), Wotling (2016) and Astor (2017).

Background and principles of Nietzschean genealogy
Genealogy is part of the Nietzschean problematization of values and culture, which replaces the question of truth: it is therefore not a new instrument for identifying truths, nor is it a method for constructing knowledge. It is not a historical approach, as it aims to evaluate the values embodied by psychological types that make up cultures. It does not seek to identify principles (ontological or theoretical) at the origin of the phenomena studied: it is part of a way of thinking about reality in which any organisational or individual reality, even the most elementary, is understood as a process of interpretation, i.e. of evaluation. Being part of a thought of interpretation, it considers any interpretation as the result of a process that takes place over a long period of time and is the result of conflicting or cooperative relationships between different drives (affects).
First stage of the Nietzschean genealogy
Research the drive origins, i.e. the origin of the values (any value being the expression of a drive system) from which an interpretation of reality (theory, belief, practice, organization…) emerges. In this first moment, genealogy does not aim to discover a single foundation or cause for the phenomenon under study: it seeks to identify the multiplicity of sources (rivalries or drive coalitions) at the origin of the incorporation of an interpretation, and therefore of a value. Genealogical work thus translates into the exploration of a complex field where multiple sources (drives) have produced an interpretation: every phenomenon is the result of a partisan interpretation for the benefit of a determined system of drives. Nietzsche gives several illustrations of this first moment of genealogy in his texts: In paragraph 92 of Human, All Too Human (Nietzsche 1988a), book 1: the origin of justice is based on an agreement, a barter, between rival equivalent forces, far from any disinterested moral position. In paragraph 22 of Human, All Too Human (Nietzsche 1988b), book 2: ‘mercantile morality’ is a refined axiological elaboration of ‘privateer morality’. In paragraph 344 of The Gay Science (Nietzsche 1992): science is the fruit of ascetic values that have, with partiality, condemned illusion and error in the name of an unshakeable faith in truth.
Second stage of the Nietzschean genealogy
After the identification of the infra-conscious and infra-rational impulse complexes at the origin of an interpretation, the aim of this second moment is to carry out the evaluation of these same complexes. The second moment of the genealogy lies in the evaluation of the sources at the origin of certain interpretations: the aim is to evaluate the value of these interpretations for human life, i.e. to rule on their harmful or beneficial character for the intensification of human life. The task of evaluating the impulse sources of an interpretation is made difficult by the fact that impulses can manifest themselves in various forms (immediate and spontaneous as well as intellectualised and spiritual) which act as masks hiding their real intention with regard to life: "The unconscious disguise of physiological needs under the masks of objectivity, of the idea, of pure intellectuality, is capable of assuming frightening proportions - and I have wondered often enough whether, all things considered, philosophy up to that point would not have been only an exegesis of the body and a misunderstanding about the body" (The Gay Science (1992), Preface, § 2). This work of evaluating the sources at the origin of interpretations is also necessary, because an interpretation is only a symptom that can refer to very different pulsional situations: the illustration of this is given by nihilism, which can be just as much the sign of a despondency and discouragement with regard to life (passive nihilism) as, on the other hand, the sign of a creative exaltation aiming at an intensification of human life (active nihilism).

Table 4. Aims and expected contributions of using Nietzschean genealogy in various fields of management.

Management field	Aim of using Nietzschean genealogy	Explanations of the use of Nietzschean genealogy
Strategy	Critical analysis of the ethical and historical foundations of strategies.	Nietzschean genealogy can help deconstruct the assumptions underlying business strategies by examining how historical values and beliefs influence current strategic decisions. This can reveal contradictions or hidden motivations behind certain strategic practices.
Human Resource Management (HRM)	Questioning the norms and values guiding HRM.	By mobilising Nietzsche’s genealogy, it’s possible to examine the historical and cultural evolution of HRM practices, questioning the basis of recruitment, training and retention policies. This can lead to a re-evaluation of practices considered “standard” or “effective”.
Marketing	Analysis of the evolution of consumer values and their impact on marketing.	The Nietzschean approach can be used to question the foundations of marketing strategies, analysing how consumer preferences and behaviours have been shaped by cultural and historical values, and how these influence current marketing practices.
Finance and Management Control	Exploration of the evolution of financial practices and their ethical foundations.	The Nietzschean genealogy allows questioning the values and ethical norms that underpin financial decisions and control management practices. This can reveal tensions between financial objectives and ethical imperatives and encourage reflection on responsible financial practices.
Operations and Logistics	Understanding the influence of historical values on current methods.	Examining the history of operations and logistics practices through a Nietzschean lens can identify how methods and processes have been shaped by past values and beliefs, and assess their relevance in the current context of operations management.
Entrepreneurship	Critique of entrepreneurial ideologies and underlying values.	In entrepreneurship, using Nietzsche’s genealogy can lead to a critical analysis of the ideals and beliefs that motivate entrepreneurs, questioning traditional notions of success, innovation and risk-taking, and exploring how these ideas have evolved over time.
Technology and Information Management	Examination of the evolution of technological values and their influence.	Applying Nietzschean genealogy in this field can reveal how historical and cultural values have shaped the development and management of information technology. This can lead to a re-evaluation of current practices and uses of technology and information management within organisations.

Table 5. Methodological approach for applying the Nietzschean genealogy to Innovatech’s diversity and inclusion policy.

Innovatech and its diversity and inclusion policy
Contextualisation of the diversity and inclusion policy	Innovatech is a major technology company. Renowned for its technological innovations, Innovatech has recently introduced a diversity and inclusion policy aimed at promoting equal opportunities and the representation of minorities within the company.
Stage	Description of actions to be taken
1. Identifying the origins of the diversity and inclusion policy (first moment in the Nietzschean genealogy)	Analyse how and why Innovatech developed this policy. Examine the historical influences, including social change and equal rights movements, that may have influenced this decision. Study the company’s speeches and publications to identify the main drivers and justifications put forward to justify this policy.
2. Analysis and evaluation of the values underlying the diversity and inclusion policy (second moment in the Nietzschean genealogy)	Question the nature of Innovatech’s diversity and inclusion values: are they purely ethical or also influenced by market and brand image considerations? Examine whether these values reflect a genuine desire for equality or whether they serve to mask or legitimise existing power dynamics within the company.
3. Study of the dynamics of power and domination	Study the effects of the diversity and inclusion policy on power relations within Innovatech: who really benefits? Are there groups or individuals who feel marginalised or exploited? Analyse whether this policy could be used to justify or mask other less ethical practices within the company.
4. Impact on employees and corporate culture	Examine the practical impact of this policy on employees from diverse backgrounds: has it led to a real improvement in inclusion and representativeness? Evaluate the impact of this policy on corporate culture and employee relations, particularly in terms of group dynamics and communication.
5. Critical summary and prospects for improvement	Formulate a critique of Innovatech’s diversity and inclusion policy in the light of Nietzschean principles: does this policy encourage a genuine intensification of the life and creativity of employees in the service of the common good? Propose recommendations for a more authentic and effective implementation of diversity and inclusion that is not just symbolic, but that engenders real and profound change within the company.
Conclusion	This fictional case study shows how the application of Nietzschean genealogy can help reveal the real complexities, motivations and consequences of corporate diversity and inclusion policies, paving the way for more authentic and responsible management practices. By adopting the Nietzschean genealogy, it is possible not only to better understand corporate policies such as Innovatech’s, but also to propose improvements based on a deeper, historical understanding of the underlying power dynamics and values.

Table 6. Methodological approach for applying the Nietzschean genealogy to the case of FLCorp’s teleworking policy.

FLCorp and its teleworking policy
Contextualisation of the teleworking policy	FLCorp is a large financial services company. After the COVID-19 pandemic, it adopted a large-scale teleworking policy presented as a measure to improve employees’ work-life balance and increase productivity.
Stage	Description of actions to be taken
1. Identifying the origins of the telework policy (first moment of the Nietzschean genealogy)	Explore the initial reasons that led FLCorp to adopt teleworking. Consider factors such as the response to the pandemic, market trends and employee pressure. Analysing corporate discourse on teleworking, examining how the concepts of flexibility and efficiency have been promoted and legitimised.
2. Analysis and evaluation of the values underlying the telework policy (second moment of the Nietzschean genealogy)	Question the nature of the values promoted by the teleworking policy. Find out whether they serve the company’s interests alone, such as cost reduction, under the guise of benefits for employees. Examine whether teleworking really does promote a better work/life balance, or whether it leads to an increase in workload and an intrusion into employees’ private lives.
3. Study of the dynamics of power and domination	Examine how the teleworking policy influences power relations within FLCorp: who controls the terms and expectations of teleworking? How does it affect employees at different hierarchical levels? Analyse whether teleworking has created new forms of surveillance and control of employees, thereby altering existing power dynamics.
4. Impact on employees and corporate culture	Assess the real impact of teleworking on employees in terms of stress, job satisfaction and performance. Examine changes in corporate culture, particularly with regard to communication, collaboration and a sense of belonging.
5. Critical summary and prospects for improvement	Develop a critical reflection on the adoption of teleworking at FLCorp: does it really contribute to employee fulfilment, or is it a strategy to maximise productivity? Propose alternative approaches or improvements to ensure that teleworking is beneficial for both the company and employees, taking into account work-life balance and well-being.
Conclusion	This fictional case study demonstrates how the application of Nietzschean genealogy can provide critical insights into teleworking policies, revealing underlying motivations and impacts on power dynamics and employee well-being. By applying Nietzschean genealogy, it is thus possible to deepen understanding of corporate policies such as teleworking at FLCorp and explore ways of making them fairer and more beneficial to all concerned.

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