Triumph of Emptiness

In this book Mats Alvesson aims to demystify some popular and upbeat claims about a range of phenomena including the knowledge society consumption branding higher education organizational change professionalization and leadership. He contends that a culture of grandiosity is leading to numerous inflated claims. We no longer talk about plans but 'strategies'. Supervisors have been replaced by 'managers' managers are referred to as executives. Management is about 'leadership'. Giving advice is 'coaching'. Companies become 'knowledge-intensive firms'. The book views the contemporary economy as an economy of persuasion where firms and other institutions increasingly assign talent energy and resources to rhetoric image branding reputation and visibility.