Whatʼs in a name?

Naming as a management method

Authors

  • Karin Holmblad Brunsson Department of Business Administration, Uppsala University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v14i1/2.16306

Abstract

By now many are familiar with the management fashion concept. The views on what constitutes successful management vary, and some management methods are popular for a short while only. It seems doubtful that organizations use transient popularity as an argument for adopting new management methods. Rather, organizations prefer to allude to their unique qualities. Perhaps processes are popular because, unlike procedures, they seem natural, not man-made. This in turn means that they cannot easily be classified as management fashions. Those subjected to process orientation or process management may view these management methods with suspicion, however, recognizing yet another reorganization. This article suggests that it is important for managers to give their management initiatives a unique name, like Lotta or Esther.

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Author Biography

Karin Holmblad Brunsson, Department of Business Administration, Uppsala University

Karin Holmblad Brunsson is Associate Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Uppsala University. She is particularly interested in the content and spread of different management methods and has written the books Ekonomistyrning - om mått, makt och människor (2005) and The Notion of General Management (2007). She has also translated Henri Fayol's book Administration industrielle et générale into Swedish (Industrial and General Administration, 2008).

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Published

2010-06-15

How to Cite

Brunsson, K. H. (2010). Whatʼs in a name? Naming as a management method. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 14(1/2), 51–68. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v14i1/2.16306

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1/2 (2010)

Section

Original Articles

License

Creative Commons License

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Authors contributing to Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration agree to publish their articles under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This means means articles are free for anybody to read and download, and to copy and disseminate for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given, a link is provided to the license, and any changes made are clearly indicated. Authors retain copyright of their work.