1st Edition
Management Aesthetics Kitsch and Modern Organisations
This edited collection presents the complex theory of kitsch from aesthetic and artistic points of view, transposed into managerial and organisational fields. In the spirit of management aesthetics, on the ground of humanistic management, the central aim of the volume is to show that kitsch is a common phenomenon not only in art and culture but also in management, and its conscious perception and mindful use may be beneficial for achieving organisational and managerial goals efficiently. Due to the diverse research problems covered by particular chapters, no unified methodology is applied in the book; every author applied an optimal method for the selected topic. However, due to the complex and metaphysical character of the kitsch phenomenon, the only common fundament of all chapters is using the kitsch experience theory (Szostak and Sułkowski, 2020). The dominant analytical approach is qualitative, with extensive use of case studies, comparative analyses, and ethnographic focus. Despite this, some chapters also include the application of the quantitative approach for the hypotheses’ verification. This book makes a giant step ahead of its competitors by implementing the kitsch theory, especially the kitsch experience theory in a broad spectrum of managerial and organisational fields like marketing, advertising, brand management, business communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, decision-making, human resource management, corporate social responsibility, city space management, management of technology and innovation, and organisational culture. It should be a must-read for researchers, academics, practitioners, and advanced students in these fields.
Introduction
Michał Szostak
1. From kitsch phenomenon, through kitsch experience, to kitschy management and management of kitsch
Michał Szostak
2. Kitsch in organisational culture: challenges and opportunities in the work environment
Justyna Dziedzic
3. Kitsch in organisational governance: management through simplified edicts and superficial interpretations in religious fatwas
Magdalena El Ghamari
4. Kitsch in HRM: the role of communication in managing generational diversity in an organisation
Marlena Kondrat
5. Kitsch in managerial language: rhetorical manifestations of kitsch in scholarly writing
Iga Maria Lehman
6. Kitsch in marketing: merchandising and promotional activities in the retail sphere
Andrzej Kondej
7. Kitch in advertising: a field of post-modern market communication battle
Andrzej Kisielewski
8. Kitsch in brand management: impact of aesthetic truth and false in advertising strategies
Aleksandra Chmielewska
9. Kitsch in entrepreneurship: meal kits, taste and the art of socio-economic enterprise
David M. Atkinson
10 Kitsch in decision-making: financial destabilisation of joint-stock companies by boards of directors
Aneta Ejsmont
11. Kitsch in new technologies management: design practices and user experiences
Artur Modliński and Ada Florentyna Pawlak
12. Kitsch in city space management: beauty and functionality of public space
Wioletta Malota
13. Kitsch in social media: self-optimisation gurus on Instagram
Weronika Pokojska and Olga Kosińska
Conclusion: determinants and functions, carriers and propagators of managerial and organisational kitsch
Michał Szostak
Biography
Michał Szostak, Associate Professor of Management – Vice-Rector for Scientific Research and Head of the Institute for Management Research at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland. He conducts interdisciplinary research in the intersection of management, art, and aesthetics, the results of which are published in international publishing houses and journals. Graduate of doctoral studies (Management) and master's studies (Management and Marketing). He conducts teaching activities in finance, management aesthetics, humanistic management, and art marketing.
