The discourses of corporate spiritualism and evangelical capitalism

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

93 Scopus citations

Abstract

"Should your company save your soul?" asks Fortune magazine in 1991. This article explores the growth of literature proposing corporate spirituality as a means of motivating employees. Critical analysis of this literature suggests that it articulates and advocates two entrepreneurial views of subjecthood (i.e., personal identity) that obscure contemporary corporate power by centering the individual as an autonomous agent, fully responsible for shaping his or her destiny. They either strip individuals of all social positioning or elevate a masculine ideal to which women cannot aspire. Although these discourses reinforce social hierarchies of power and privilege, they also provide grounds for critiquing and transforming the contemporary workplace.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3-42
Number of pages40
JournalManagement Communication Quarterly
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Strategy and Management

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