Representations of the Intellectual

This article explores the contemporary relationship between management educators and practitioners, as expressed in the Critical Management Studies (CMS) literature, in the light of Gramsci’s writings on the formation and roles of intellectuals within society. His conception of intellectuals as being of two types—organic and traditional—is used as a heuristic to explore the claims made by critical management studies for an emancipatory agenda. Using Gramsci’s writings as a point of departure I stake out a position that starts to reconsider how management educators have come to acquire their perceived position of governance over what passes as management knowledge. I suggest that to do this we need to consider management education’s socio-cultural position. I adopt Gramsci’s notion of the ‘system of relations’ as a way to focus on the relationships between management education, management educators, and management practitioners. The article suggests that CMS needs to pay attention to the pedagogical processes of management education as much as to its content. I conclude that research that observes what are currently perceived as ‘critical’ and ‘non-critical’ management education classrooms must take place. Until this occurs, CMS’s claims for an emancipatory agenda must remain muted.