# Management in Quandary - A Critique of Organizational Power Link:: [Management in Quandary: A Critique of Organizational Power](https://amzn.to/3Ah7EgF) By:: [[Ross Jackson]] Medium:: [[Book]] > [!about] Summary from the Source > [[Excitement]] and anticipation are commonly felt at the start of careers. Over time enthusiasm for the future is often replaced by a sense of drudgery. Ambitious goals of making a difference subside as simply making it through the day becomes increasingly challenging. How does management contribute to this all-too-common organizational dynamic? > > [[Power]] resides at the core of [[management]] theory and praxis. Through a [[critique]] of organizational power, Ross Jackson examines management as an [[ideology]], revealing how those in organizations experience subjugation and alienation through institutional dressage. Often when alienation is analyzed the focus is exclusively on workers. This critique extends that focus by exploring how lower-echelon managers, as the body and voice of organizations, experience subjugation and alienation as well. In response to these organizational dynamics, the [[spectacle]] of [[work]] emerges in which workers and managers alike pretend to work. When extended over the course of career, the spectacle contributes to a sense of [[nihilism]] and meaninglessness. Whereas they exist on different organizational strata, the shared experience of organizational subjugation and alienation by workers and lower-echelon managers provides a basis for collaborative solidarity. > > Since organizations are socially constructed realities, they can be refined based on current needs and demands. A path forward exists. How much longer shall subjugation and alienation be the consequence for one’s work? Collaborative [[Solidarity]] and care within organizations are within reach. It is possible to move towards [[Authenticity]] and [[autonomy]]. With the concepts developed through this critique, one can create a path forward that is authentic, collaborative, and fulfilling for oneself and caring of all those questioning, confronting, or contending with organizational power. This is long overdue. It is time to move beyond the lethargy of passive acceptance of the [[status]] quo, and join the prolonged struggle for greater authenticity and autonomy at work. ## Notes