The concept and the practices of discipline in contemporary organizational life

Abstract

In this paper we articulate how Michel Foucault's perspective on “discipline” applies to the modern organization. Primarily, we explicate Foucault's view of discipline and demonstrate its usefulness for organizational analysis, particularly as it serves to extend Weber's thesis on the increasing rationalization of advanced industrial society. From this discussion we develop a communication‐based perspective on how discipline operates in contemporary organizations, offering a brief case study of the corporate specification of an employee value system that draws upon observations, interviews, and the analysis of company policy statements. Using this case as an illustration, we articulate four aspects of discipline in contemporary organizational life. Finally, we discuss the importance of discipline for organizational analysis, particularly in terms of how team‐oriented, “concertive” relationships can function to increase control for individuals but especially for the system as a whole