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The exclusion of deviant employees: A Foucauldian analysis of disciplinary power in organizations
Örebro University, Örebro University School of Business.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3412-8937
Örebro University, Örebro University School of Business.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1176-659x
2025 (English)In: Organization, ISSN 1350-5084, E-ISSN 1461-7323Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

While studies of disciplinary power have largely focused on how employees conform, resist, or adapt to organizational norms, less attention has been paid to what happens when normalization efforts fail, leading to exclusion. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power, this article examines how top management handles employees who persistently deviate from organizational expectations. Based on an empirical study of managerial responses to two types of deviant employees—underperformers and socially nonconforming individuals—we reveal how exclusion emerges as an escalating process. Initially, managers employ corrective measures aimed at normalization, yet when these efforts prove unsuccessful, they shift toward intensified control, documentation, and ultimately, exclusion. Our findings demonstrate that exclusion is not a failure of disciplinary power but rather its extension, reinforcing organizational norms through the removal of those deemed irredeemably deviant. By conceptualizing exclusion as an active disciplinary mechanism rather than a passive outcome, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of power dynamics in contemporary organizations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2025.
Keywords [en]
Disciplinary power, exclusion, deviance, normalization, organizational control, workplace discipline, Foucault, Foucauldian analysis, power dynamics, organizational governance
National Category
Business Administration
Research subject
Business Studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-120871DOI: 10.1177/13505084251325295ISI: 001478253500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105003145764OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-120871DiVA, id: diva2:1955382
Available from: 2025-04-30 Created: 2025-04-30 Last updated: 2025-05-15Bibliographically approved

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Beime, KristinaLundh, Simon

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