Abstract
The purpose of this study involved the development of a new metaphor to describe organizational societies with dysfunctional behavior: dystopias. This study incorporated Presthus’s (The organizational society: An analysis and a theory. New York: Alfred Knopf, 2012) definition of organizational societies to compare utopias with dystopias. Based on the findings, two themes emerged from the secondary data: (a) a consistent emphasis on the mentioning of precarious employment in order to influence workers to maximize their output and (b) a dehumanization of service members through devaluing of their emotional and mental labors. The study included the truth-oriented theory and social identity model proposed by Barentsen (Emerging leadership in the Pauline mission. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2011). In order to incorporate Scriptural wisdom into the paper, this study involved a reference to Deuterocanonical writings found in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons. The book of Ecclesiasticus contained the exegeted verses. The pericope pertained to the concept of a house or institution organized by one’s continuous desire for gain at the expense of others’ welfare. When the social and infrastructural foundation of an organization has roots in the pursuit of excessive gain, the effects of that foundation often lead to eventual destruction of the organization as wrongdoings escalate, thus resulting in dysfunctional work environments and decreased quality in organizational performance.
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Newton, C. (2020). Dystopia as an Organizational Metaphor. In: Huizinga, R., Dean, D. (eds) Organizational Metaphors . Christian Faith Perspectives in Leadership and Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41712-3_11
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