Death Imagery and the Experience of Organizational Downsizing

Abstract

Experiential realities of downsizing, reductions in force, restructuring, outsourcing, and cognate terms are often at wide variance with their touted and expectedpromises of increased productivity, profit, rationality, realism, efficiency, teamwork, and role interchangeability. Vignettes cited suggest that downsizing is not primarily about economics or business but, instead, myth and ritual. Downsizing is explored as a symbolicform and action, rationalized and masked by euphemism. Downsizing implements devastating planned social change, one that takes the form of sacrifice to purchase organizational life via symbolic death. Downsizing is experienced as a metaphoric Holocaust, one driven by the need to perform sacrifice (a) to separate bad from good parts of oneself and (b) to secure organizational rebirth through the expulsion of death. The link between the popular 1993 movie Schindler's List and organizational themes in the language of the Holocaust is explored and takes us to the heart of the conscious and unconscious emotional experience and meaning of downsizing.

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