Images of Death and Slavery in Organizational Life

Organizational life is bounded by myths and symbols that affect the individual's behavior in mysterious ways. This paper examines the imagery of masters and slaves as a guide to the psychological dynamics of authority relationships in modern organizations. The master-slave relationship is relat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of management 1987-09, Vol.13 (3), p.529-541
Main Author: Denhardt, Robert B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Organizational behavior
Organizational Culture
Power
Psychological aspects
Relations
Slavery
Subordinates
Superior Subordinate Relationship
Superiors
Symbolism
Work Organization
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Summary:Organizational life is bounded by myths and symbols that affect the individual's behavior in mysterious ways. This paper examines the imagery of masters and slaves as a guide to the psychological dynamics of authority relationships in modern organizations. The master-slave relationship is related to the symbolic quest for immortality, and is analyzedfrom a historical and psychological perspective. Finally, its powerful imagery is connected to superior-subordinate relationships in modern organizations in order to demonstrate the continuing influence of the "irrational" in organizational life.
ISSN:0149-2063
1557-1211
DOI:10.1177/014920638701300309