[P2P-F] Functional Stupidity

[Kevin Carson]

On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 9:43 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson
<dante.monson at gmail.com> wrote:

> In this paper we question the one-sided thesis that contemporary
> organizations rely on the mobilization of cognitive capacities. We suggest
> that severe restrictions on these capacities in the form of what we call
> functional stupidity are an equally important if under-recognized part of
> organizational life. Functional stupidity refers to an absence of
> reflexivity, a refusal to use intellectual capacities in other than myopic
> ways, and avoidance of justifications. We argue that functional stupidity is
> prevalent in contexts dominated by economy in persuasion which emphasizes
> image and symbolic manipulation. This gives rise to forms of stupidity
> management that repress or marginalize doubt and block communicative action.
> In turn, this structures individuals' internal conversations in ways that
> emphasize positive and coherent narratives and marginalize more negative or
> ambiguous ones. This can have productive outcomes such as providing a degree
> of certainty for individuals and
> organizations. But it can have corrosive consequences such as creating a
> sense of dissonance among individuals and the organization as a whole. The
> positive consequences can give rise to self-reinforcing stupidity. The
> negative consequences can spark dialogue, which may undermine functional
> stupidity.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Subject: Fwd: La stupidité fonctionnelle - Finance : "fais d'abord,
> réfléchis après" ?
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Caroline Stiegler
> Date: Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 9:44 AM
> Subject: La stupidité fonctionnelle
> To: dante.monson at gmail.com
>
>
> Chers adhérents et abonnés,
>
> Nous vous recommandons vivement la lecture de
>
> "La « stupidité fonctionnelle » à l’origine de la crise financière"
>
> article accessible à partir du lien suivant :
>
> http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/02/14/la-loi-et-lordre-la-stupidite-fonctionnelle-a-lorigine-de-la-crise-financiere/
>
> et qui est introduit ainsi par le quotidien Le Monde : “Selon une étude
> britannique, le monde de la finance serait dicté par l'attitude "fais
> d'abord, réfléchis après"”.
>
> Ce qui est ici nommé functionnal stupidity désigne très précisément ce que
> nous appelons la bêtise systémique (stupidity se traduit très généralement
> en français par bêtise). Voici le résumé en anglais de l’étude publiée par
> le Journal of management studies (cf.
> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01072.x/abstract)
> :
>
> In this paper we question the one-sided thesis that contemporary
> organizations rely on the mobilization of cognitive capacities. We suggest
> that severe restrictions on these capacities in the form of what we call
> functional stupidity are an equally important if under-recognized part of
> organizational life.

Wonderful! You might also find these relevant:
http://c4ss.org/content/3649
http://c4ss.org/content/10803
http://c4ss.org/content/13841

-- 
Kevin Carson
Karl Hess Chair in Social Theory, Research Associate
Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org

"You have no authority that we are bound to respect" -- John Perry Barlow
"We are legion. We never forgive. We never forget. Expect us" -- Anonymous

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