Family Matters: an Arendtian Critique of Organizational Structures

In this paper, we use Hannah Arendt's conception of praxis and her critique of family to diagnose how praxis and diversity initiatives may suffer when family is used as an organizing principle. As an organizing principle, notions of family function to promote hierarchical sameness within organi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gender, work, and organization work, and organization, 2017-09, Vol.24 (5), p.506-518
Main Authors: Gardiner, Rita A., Fulfer, Katy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arendt, Hannah
diversity
Families & family life
family
Family relations
Feminism
Hannah Arendt
Hierarchies
Inequality
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Organizational structure
organizations
praxis
Social change
Workplace diversity
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Summary:In this paper, we use Hannah Arendt's conception of praxis and her critique of family to diagnose how praxis and diversity initiatives may suffer when family is used as an organizing principle. As an organizing principle, notions of family function to promote hierarchical sameness within organizations, thereby suppressing diversity. In response to hierarchical sameness, Arendtian praxis can destabilize homogenizing tendencies, and effect social change by challenging ‘business as usual’. Further, because praxis is situated within a diverse, plural community of actors, it is able to appreciate diversity within organizations. Hence, we suggest that organizations can ‘do’ diversity better with a structure that enables praxis to emerge. In addition, we point to ways in which family as an organizational principle privileges a narrow conception of family that obscures gender, racial, sexual and class‐based inequities. This project contributes to the feminist scholarship on diversity and organizational inequities.
ISSN:0968-6673
1468-0432
DOI:10.1111/gwao.12177