r .garvey@yorksj.ac.uk

1. Neofeudalism, surveillance and supervision? for CCRG By Bob Garvey Professor of Business Education r.garvey@yorksj.ac.uk

2. What are discourses?

3. What are discourses? "Language is the primary motor of a culture…….Language is culture in action, but just as we are led to believe that our culture is 'natural' so too do we come to overlook the intricacies of our language. (Webster, 1980) "…it is important to understand that language is never 'innocent'; it is not a neutral medium of expression. Discourses are expressions of power relation and reflect the practices and the positions that are tied to them. (Layder, 1994)

4. What is discourse analysis? “Language as the medium for interaction; analysis of discourse becomes, then, analysis of ………..what people do.” (Potter 1997:146)

5. In this session • Neofeudalism discourse • Managerial discourse of power • Ed Psy Discourse

6. What is Neofeudalism?

7. Neofeudalism • Globalisation gives us corporatized ‘neofeudalism’ (Shearing, 2001) – power held by a few over the many • Localised ‘fiefdoms’ where rules are enforced and powerbases established • The controllers of the ‘fiefdoms’ call for deregulation and freedom • And impose greater regulation of those they control (Saul, 1997). • Increase surveillance – HR systems, coaching (Nielsen & Nørreklit, 2009)? • Expect compliance under the guise of ‘risk’ reduction

8. Nefeudalism • ‘Barons’ take the higher moral ground • Socially engineering their right to do so • For example, the ‘wild west’ of coaching slogan justifies: • Competence frameworks • Training • Ethical codes • Standards • Supervision • These are all justified in terms of ‘it’s what our members want’ and ‘its what the market demands’

9. Neofeudalism • Are members and the ‘market’ reflecting the same neofeudalistic discourse that gives rise to the codes? • The result is paternal authority where the rights of individuals are side-lined “under the guise of business ethics…” (Schwartz, 2000:175)standards and safety • The ICF, for example, gives itself ‘...sole discretion.’ • A Baronial role?

10. What is surveillance?

11. Panopticon • ThePanopticonwas building designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century • It allowed a single watchman to observe all inmates in a prison of an institution without them being able to tell whether they are being watched or not • Based on the theory that people will act as if they are being observed • Resulting in self-modifying behaviour

12. Panopticism "He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection." Foucault, M., (1995)

13. Panopticism and capitalism Tactics of power have three criteria: • Obtain the exercise of power at the lowest possible cost • Bring the effects of this social power to their maximum intensity and to extend them as far as possible, without either failure or interval • Link this 'economic' growth of power with the output of the apparatuses (Rules and codes) used in a social group - in short, to increase both the docility and the utility of all elements of the system Foucault, M., (1995)Discipline and Punishment. Vintage Books, New York

14. Supervision

15. Professional Bodies and Supervision • The EMCC Code of Ethics requires that all members have regular supervision • Three elements: • Normative • Formative • Supportive (Proctor, 1986)

16. A Discourse Analysis of Normative • normative – the supervisor accepts (or more accurately shares with the supervisee) responsibility for ensuring that the supervisee’s work is professional and ethical, operating within whatever codes, laws and organisational norms apply Normative = Compliance and quality assured discourse This is a form of monitoring, which is surveillance as defined above = Neofeudalistic control?

17. Discourse Analysis of Formative • formative – the supervisor acts to provide feedback or direction that will enable the supervisee to develop the skills, theoretical knowledge, personal attributes and so on that will mean the supervisee becomes an increasingly competent practitioner Formative - Supervision is for L&D/ CPD • Feedback is a potential ‘power play’, direction certainly is! • CPD is good for you discourse – instrument to monitor and make decisions about inclusion or exclusion • CPD is defined by the professional body – power discourse controlling what is learned • Supervision courses to do it right! • Only certain (accredited) people can offer CPD – In/out group • L&D and CPD frameworks often built on the same research base produced by dominant players = All elements of Neofeudalistic control

18. Discourse Analysis of Supportive • supportive (Proctor calls this restorative) – the supervisor is there to listen, support, confront the supervisee when the inevitable personal issues, doubts and insecurities arise – and when client issues are ‘picked up’ by the supervisee Supportive - A deficit model of learning • Supervisor ‘confronts’ – assumption of incompetence? Power with the supervisor • Inevitable issues – supervisor knows best - power • Assumptions of insecurity – supervisor superior • Supervisor - superior insight – obviously! = Neofeudalistic baron?

19. New thinking is needed! “the old frameworks for thinking about the global order of our lives, its political fracture lines, religious and ideological diversity and its sustainability in environmental terms, are all shown to be inadequate.” (Garvey & Williamson, 2002)

20. An alternative discourse

21. The alternative discourse of coaching In a world dominated by a discourse of ‘rational pragmatism’ (Johnson & Duberley, 2000), the ‘Expert psy Discourse’ (Western, 2012) and Neofeudalism (Shearing, 2001)is coaching simply joining the mob? Is it really offering something different? Coaching could offer a different discourse to all that ‘old management stuff’……

22. The discourse of coaching Person centred and humanistic ‘Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.’

23. What would it mean to really adopt this discourse? • Its all about the challenge of diversity • Diversity presents the biggest challenge to humankind • It is a complex subject but by embracing it, neofeudalistic power bases break down • Policies and procedures make little difference without embedded learning • The keys are ‘tolerance’, ‘acceptance’ and ‘respect’ • The genuine alternative discourse of coaching offers opportunities to move us forward to a new diverse future • So is supervision a form of neofeudalistic surveillance? • Yes and no and whether it is a bad thing or an untapped opportunity is a matter of which discourse you subscribe to!

24. There is no Natural Religionby William Blake “If it were not for the Poetic or Prophetic Character, the Philosophic and Experimental would soon be at the ratio of all things and stand still, unable to do other than repeat the same dull round over again.” With supervision, is coaching repeating the same dull round over again? Can we create something new to serve the needs of people in the early 21st Century?

25. SO let the wild rumpus start!

26. References • Foucault, M., (1995)Discipline and Punishment. Vintage Books, New York • Garvey, B. Williamson, B. (2002) Beyond Knowledge Management: dialogue, creativity and the corporate curriculum, Harlow, UK: Pearson Education • Johnson, P. & Duberley, J. (2000) Understanding Management Research, London: Sage • Layder, D. (1994) Understanding Social Theory, London, Sage • Schwartz, M. (2000) Why Ethical Codes Constitute an Unconscious Regression, Journal of Business Ethics, 23: 173-184 • Morris, B., Tarpley, N. A., (2000) So You’re a Player, Do You Need a Coach? Fortune, Vol.141, Issue 4 • Nielsen, A. E., Nørreklit, H. (2009) A discourse analysis of the disciplinary power of management coaching, Denmark Society and Business Review, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 202-214 • Potter,J., (1997) Discourse analysis as a way of analysing naturally occurring talk. In D. Silverman (Ed.) Qualitative research (pp144-160) London: Sage. • Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987) Discourse and social psychology. Newbury Park, CA: Sage • Proctor, Brigid (1986) ‘Supervision: A co-operative exercise in accountability’ in A. Marken & M Payne (eds) Enabling and Ensuring: Supervision in Practice Leicester National Youth Bureau/Council for Education and Training in Youth and Community Work • Saul, J. R. (1997) The Unconscious Civilization, Penguin, Ringwood • Sherman, S. and Freas, A. (2004) The Wild West of executive coaching, Harvard Business Review, 82(11), November: 82–90 • Webster, F (1980) The New photography; Responsibility in Visual Communication London, John Calder • Shearing, Clifford (2001) Punishment and the Changing Face of the Governance, Punishment & Society 3 (2): 203–22 • Western, S. (2012) Coaching and Mentoring: A Critical Text (London: Sage). An interesting and critical account of coaching and mentoring. ‘Scoping the Field: Definitions and Divergence of Practice’ is a particularly helpful chapter.