Management
“He who is subjected to a field of visibility […]; he inscribes in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles [the
prisoner and the guard – M.I.]; he becomes the principle of his own subjection.” (Foucault, 1977: 202-203).
Source: Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Harmondsworth:Penguin.
• What is Foucault’s take on power?
• Is the notion of ‘visibility’ in any way related to it? Does Foucault’s theory of ‘discourse’ explain how power can impact ‘visibility’ or
the requirement to be visible?
• In the lectures we have discussed three ways in which the human subject is turned into object – how do they relate to the prisoner-guard
situation/relationship.
• Do some of them have something to say about the dynamics of this relationship?
• What does ‘subjectification’ (discussed in the ‘History of Sexuality’) relate to?
• Analyzing the quote reflect how the principle of ‘subjectification’, Foucault’s notion of discourse, his work on discipline and his take on
power may inform our understanding of management and organizations.
• Surely you have experienced or read about organizational events, phenomena or interactions closely related to issues of power and order –
think how they may be understood using theoretical contribution of Michel Foucault.
• Explore the literature (discussed in the module, but also beyond the literature that was discussed) which uses Foucault’s contribution in
organizational context (themes of ‘power’, ‘discourse’, ‘subjectification’, ‘visibility’ are especially relevant in this context [three sources to
help start your inquiries Townley, 1993, Foucault. Power/Knowledge, and its relevance for human resource management; Fox, 1989, The panopticon: From
Bentham’s Obsession to the revolution in management learning; Alvesson & Kärreman, 2001 ‘Odd couple: Making sense of the curious concept of
knowledge management’])
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