New tools for a social critique of the company

Abstract

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, companies have evolved considerably. This evolution involves both the individuals who work for them and the socioeconomic context in which they operate. Currently, the reality of the company seems to escape the categories used to conceptualize it. Schematically, there are two symmetrical ideologies about organizational analysis. One presents a Marxist vision of the company as big capital seeking to dominate the workers. Its pro-business counterpart gives the image of an entity promoting employees’ happiness. In both cases, the company is assigned a role that is not its own and that exceeds its actual scope. Current forms of the company present definite improvements, but they are also the theater of new forms of evil and the cause of serious societal dysfunctions. We need analysis and constructive criticism, capable of providing the basis for effective problem-solving. Between contemporary values and new forms of malaise at work, what tools would enable a contemporary social critique of the company to engage in more accurate analysis and address the problems of contemporary work organizations?