Understanding microfascism: reading Deleuze and Guattari alongside management guru texts

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe ‘management guru’ text has long been a source of interest for academic audiences. In this tradition, this paper argues that the content and underpinning ideology of the guru guide hold important insights for organizational scholars interested in the works of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari (and vice versa). Specifically, this paper will demonstrate that a close reading of entrepreneur and guru, Tim Ferriss’s, Tools of Titans, can provide meaningful exegesis and development of the concept of ‘microfascism’ presented by Deleuze and Guattari across their shared and independent corpuses. Building upon extant organization studies literature, this paper will endeavour to contribute to the commentary on the management guru by suggesting that the desire for fascism, power, conformity, and rule-following of which Deleuze and Guattari speak offers a productive way of understanding the success of the management guru and the broader allure of the management advice industry.