Sabotage by Managers and Technocrats - Neglected patterns of resistance at work

The central thesis of this chapter is that some managers and technocrats have sufficient motive to sabotage the production of goods and services. We begin by citing illustrative examples of episodes of managerial and technocratic sabotage. In reviewing the existing literature we find that low or reduced personal control and the experience of negative affect at the workplace underlie many acts of sabotage. We examine major societal and organisational forces that have eroded and redefined the power and privileges of managerial and technocratic positions and find that managers and technocrats have experienced increasing powerlessness and insecurity. We draw on neoclassical economics, managerialist literature and modern social-class analyses to establish the plausibility of the central thesis. As the interests, values and motives of managers and technocrats drift further from alignment with those of capital elites who desire to maximise profit, a willingness to engage in forms of deep opposition is more probable. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, we argue that for reasons similar to those of workers, some managers and technocrats resist capitalist domination by selecting sabotage responses. In closing sections, a typology of managerial/technocratic sabotage is presented.

[Summary taken from chapter]