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Jean-Etienne Joul­lié

Associate Professor

Emner
Ledelse Lederskab Organisation Arbejdsmiljø Metode Frankrig

Primary research areas

New avenues for man­age­ment re­search, edu­ca­tion and prac­tice

I work to improve management research, practice and education by revisiting the moral, epistemological and methodological foundations of the core disciplines (such as Strategic Management, HRM, OB, OD, Leadership and Occupational Psychology) that are researched and taught in management schools around the world.

Workplace relationships language

The words we use to frame the problems with which we grapple and to interact with others assume and convey assumptions about the world, ourselves and society. As speakers, we are preachers and this capacity calls for constant critical evaluation..

Philosophy of social science

The­ory pro­duc­tion has tra­di­tion­ally been a cent­ral fo­cus of so­cial sci­ence. This em­phas­is typically glosses over the fact that the­ory em­beds pre­dict­ive know­ledge. Com­mit­ting to the­ory thus amounts to as­sum­ing that pre­dic­tion is achiev­able. Non-con­tro­ver­sial in nat­ur­al sci­ence, such an as­sump­tion smuggles in so­cial sci­ence disciplines a particular view of hu­man ex­ist­ence – a view that deserves scrutiny.

I work to open new avenues for management research, education and practice.

I work to improve management research, practice and education by revisiting the moral, epistemological and methodological foundations of the core disciplines (such as Strategic Management, HRM, OB, OD, Leadership and Occupational Psychology) that are researched and taught in management schools around the world. 

The underlying conviction that underpins my work is the following. Business and community leadership, sustainable management practice and personal integrity require analytical and critical methods of inquiry rooted in an appreciation of diverse human values. Such skill necessitates appreciation of the assumptions implied and conveyed by the terms used when describing problems and their solutions. Indeed, critical evaluation of foundations brings about awareness of alternatives; intellectual freedom and maturity, responsible leadership as well as meaningful citizenship engagement have no other possible foundations.

Recent research projects

Charisma today

Since at least the 1960s, discussions about charisma (and charismatic leadership) have been shaped by Weber’s (somewhat self-contradictory) delineation of the construct. For all its merits and demerits, Weber’s conception was born as Western modernity culminated and when bureaucracy was perceived as the ideal work arrangement. Is his construct still relevant in postmodern times and to virtual workplaces? Can it explain the rise to power of such figures as Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Elon Musk? One of my current projects is to try to provide at least partial answers to these questions.