Abstract Radical organizational theory sets out to expose the ideological positions of theory and form, and to legitimate the experiences of those who are marginalized by the hegemony of efficiency over harmony. This workshop presents the techniques in teaching radical organizational theory to graduate business students at a politically conservative state university.
Techniques involve a radical reading list, group projects, and student-centered instruction.
Workshop participants will discuss the concept of radical organizational theory, the nature of student resistance to radical theories, and the possibility of changing value systems in a class structure. Finally, participants will be asked to share from their own experiences in teaching graduate students alternative views on organizational life. It involves getting graduate business students to examine stories of power, to view the ideological and social relationships which dominate their lives, to understand how form is socially constructed, how common sense influences individual and group actions, and how the use of language influences the notions of leadership, motivation, and design, commonly studied under mainstream organizational theory. A course on radical organizational theory sets out to expose the ideological positions of theory and form, and to legitimate knowledge from individuals and groups who are believed to be marginalized through the hegemonic views on social organization. This proposed workshop will present and discuss the techniques utilized by a professor and a doctoral candidate in teaching radical organizational theory for the last three semesters.