Introduction to Critical Management Research

'This book offers a lively and readable account of how scholars and students might engage with some of the more unusual critical theories associated with the critical management research project. Supported by a wealth of empirical and theoretical material, this book will introduce readers to the complex issues surrounding how to carry out critical management research rather than simply providing prescriptive answers' - Heather Hopfl, University of Essex. 'Kelemen and Rumens have done management scholars a great service in reviewing a huge amount of disparate knowledge and compressing it into a succinct, lively and provocative book on the current state of Critical Management Studies. This is a 'must-read' for those both inside and outside CMS' - Keith Grint, Cranfield University. 'Management is a critical term for contemporary politics, but getting to grips with managerialism requires research methods that can deal with contemporary and controversial topics. This book provides the tools for that project, and will be invaluable for scholars and students who wish to challenge the conservatism of management academy at the present time' - Martin Parker, University of Leicester. Why have certain theories shaped management research? Where do research theory and practice meet, if at all? To ask these questions is to think critically about management research. Mihaela L Kelemen and Nick Rumens explore the fundamentals of critical management theory and their influences on management research, and in doing so offer the student an illuminating introduction to what is often a disparate and complex array of issues. Ten expressive chapters examine theoretical foundations, including those most often sidelined in mainstream management theory; from postmodernism and deconstruction to American pragmatism, along with methodological choices and the intellectual issues each of these presents. Also provided is a timely consideration to the consequences and ethical concerns now inherent to any research issue.