Why Jerry Maguire succeeds but not William Lomax: management, cultures and postmodernism

Postmodernism has been widely used and abused in contemporary analyses within the social sciences. In management sciences, it tjas made some inroads but in the main, postmodernism has been seen as an esoteric exercise. This paper starts with a discussion of the concept of postmodernism and how it has been used in organisational and managerial analyses. The paper moves onto a discussion of contemporary discussions of the 'new manager*, in particular, its relationship with cultures and new work practices. The paper argues that culture has been appropriated and pressed into the service of a new 'neoliberal' discourse of individualism. The paper suggests that adopting a postmodernist approach enables cultures and differences to be re-examined; more importantly, it provides an alternative basis to further develop management theory and practices, where 'differences' are not simply tolerated but also appreciated.