Tom C's Books, Films, Work and Organisation Podcast

In this episode I discuss the literary crime fiction novel Cypress Grove by James Sallis, first published in 2003. I start with some reflections on the enduring popularity and variety of the crime/detective fiction genre in general. Then I move into discussing Sallis' detective protagonist, John Turner, and the past/present chapter structure of the book, which alternates between turner helping solve a case in a small rural town and flashback vignettes from different earlier phases in his life and career. I suggest that detective fictions have many implications for problem-solving in work, but also much more deeply for dealing with ethics in work, relationships and community, while living with work that carries the mood of difficult emotions, tragic events and traumatic outcomes. - The Guardian (2008) James Sallis: Thought Crime (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/21/james-sallis-crime-salt-river)

In this episode I review a 2017 book by Professor Peter Fleming, entitled 'The Death of Homo Economicus: Work, Debt and the Myth of Endless Accumulation'. I discuss its bracing and polemical critique of 'late capitalism' and the strengths and limitations of such 'critical management studies' perspectives which aim to shed light on power, control, exploitation and resistance in our workplaces and societies. Episode Notes The Guardian (2017) ‘The Death of Homo Economicus review – why does capitalism still exist?’ (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/28/death-homo-economicus-peter-fleming-review) Calvard, T. S., & Sang, K. J. (2017). Complementing psychological approaches to employee well-being with a socio-structural perspective on violence in the workplace: An alternative research agenda. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(16), 2256-2274. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09585192.2017.1314976) Spicer, A., & Alvesson, M. (2024). Critical Management Studies: A Critical Review. Journal of Management Studies. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joms.13047)

In this episode I talk about the context surrounding Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator, which parodies Hitler and Mussolini, while also having serious things to say about fascism, authoritarianism and Nazism. In terms of work and organisation, I also touch on its enduring implications for leadership, power and comedy. Episode Notes - The Guardian (2010) ‘The Great Dictator: No 22 best comedy film of all time’ (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/18/chaplin-great-dictator-comedy) - BBC Culture (2021) ‘The Great Dictator: The film that dared to laugh at Hitler’ (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210204-the-great-dictator-the-film-that-dared-to-laugh-at-hitler) - Literary Hub (2023) ‘Laughing At Evil: When Charlie Chaplin Brought Hitler to the Big Screen’ (https://lithub.com/laughing-at-evil-when-charlie-chaplin-brought-hitler-to-the-big-screen/) - Aeon (2020) ‘Laughter is vital’ (https://aeon.co/essays/for-henri-bergson-laughter-is-what-keeps-us-elastic-and-free)

This episode discusses the 'where' of diversity in organisations and the spatial turn in social sciences, including how diverse minorities use spaces, how places create varying degrees of inclusion, and how spaces mark out geographies of inequality.

In this episode I discuss the sensemaking perspective on organizations and organizing, and how to build on and extend some of its relatively under-explored critical links with diversity, in terms of how we experience crisis, change, learning and wider social contexts and structures.

In this episode I discuss various critical concepts and debates surrounding the idea of multiculturalism. I consider how multiculturalism relates to diversity in organizations, and also argue there are various ways that multicultural ideas could be drawn on more in future to inform organizational diversity research and practice agendas.

In this episode I discuss critical views of discourse in relation to diversity and organizations. This covers issues of talk, text, meaning, language and different ways of communicating about differences and diversity.

In this episode I discuss the origins and concept of intersectionality as a critical way of understanding diversity in organizations. I consider the potential strengths and limitations of intersectionality as a theory and method, as well as its emerging applications to organizations. I conclude by considering the future prospects of intersectional diversity research in organizations, in relation to both challenges and opportunities.

In this episode I talk about institutions and institutional views of diversity and organizations. I mention topics such as institutional racism, institutional sexism and total institutions, and some of the struggles to address institutional power and change.

In this episode I dicuss critical views of power in organizations and how they relate to diversity, through topics such as resistance, inequalities, elites and gender/feminism.

In this episode I talk about history as a defining aspect of critical perspectives on diversity in organizations. I discuss different ways of critically reading, writing and imagining history. I connect history with diversity through three main themes - slavery, forgotten histories and postcolonialism. I discuss examples of topics, figures and research linking organizations, diversity and history, and the ongoing value and importance of historical perspectives.

In this chapter I consider what it means to take a critical perspective on management and organizations in general, and more specifically on diversity in organizations. I discuss Critical Management Studies (CMS) definitions, schools of thought, journals, topics and some examples of pieces of critical research. I conclude that management would be much impoverished were it not for a lively pluralism of diverse critical perspectives.

In this episode I talk about mainstream approaches to diversity in organizations - typically North American, quantitative/statistical in design and drawing on applied team psychology. I note some of the contributions of such approaches, but also some of their limitations.

In this episode I talk more about the Introduction to the book - some general views on diversity as a topic, thinking critically about differences and organizations, and how examples and stories can reveal the complexity and contexts of diversity.

In this initial episode, I give an overview of the book, its four main parts, and its thirteen chapters.