17427: The Sorry State of Critique in CMS: What’s Wrong and How Can We Fix It?

In this PDW we interrogate the pride and glory of Critical Management Studies (CMS): Critique. What is critique? Why do we engage in critique? And how can the critical powers of CMS be strengthened? Since its beginnings more than 30 years ago, CMS has been known for its efforts to challenge injustice and exploitation in capitalist organizations and economies. However, CMS has also been accused of getting its priorities wrong: for getting bogged down in esoteric matters (Spicer & Alvesson 2024) and ignoring non-Western alternatives (Khan & Koshul 2001); for lack of substance, political engagement and impact (Tourish 2019; Contu 2020; Spicer & Alvesson 2024). Moreover, many of us may be quick to pass moral judgment but less keen to spend long periods of time gathering empirical evidence for our claims. Thus, it is not always easy to see what insights CMS adds beyond those offered by specialists in other fields, or by anyone else for that matter. To move beyond these weaknesses, the PDW will explore the opportunities and limitations of ‘immanent critique’. Immanent critique is a method which combines in-depth empirical analysis and universal norms in the systematic critique of social and economic institutions. The PDW is organized in four sections: an introduction where the organizers outline the basics of immanent critique; three short presentations where invited speakers outline their own visions for CMS within and beyond the limits of immanent critique; small groupwork and plenary discussion; interactive reflections from three discussants.