ABSTRACT
As we saw in our introductory discussions, the field of management studies is not alone in making use of buzzwords. The discipline of sociology, to cite just one familiar discipline, also makes extensive use of buzzwords — terms that excite a hum of discussion and debate. In the 1980s the buzzwords of sociology and of social theorizing more generally, changed quite profoundly. The ‘old’ buzzwords of sociology — terms such as Braverman, Taylorism, Marxism and deskilling — were undermined by a ‘new’ collection of buzzwords. These ‘new’ buzzwords, gathered under the banner of post-modernism (both with and without the hyphen (Hassard, 1994)), include terms such as Foucault, Derrida, narrative and discourse, and have ushered in the ‘linguistic turn’ in sociology, and the development of ‘litero-philosophy’ (Merquior, 1985, p. 13). The 1980s as we have seen, also represent a period of profound change in the study of management. Indeed, while social theorizing embarked on its linguistic turn, the ‘gurus’ of management toiled to effect what might be termed the ‘cultural turn’ in management thinking.
