Toward a Philosophical Orientation on Control

Abstract

I argue that CMS scholars should focus and orient on our role as philosophers as we theorize control into the future. I assert that by concentrating on the philosophical ethics of control—how we rhetorically create control as a moral organizational force—we can integrate and unite our critical efforts in ways that position us to change, substantively, managerial practice and to enhance the relevance of our field. I discuss the basis of a philosophical orientation on control grounded in shared moral values and describe the points in organizational discourse at which we can look to find and assess these values.