Read morePublished on May 5, 2023 at 7:54 amUpdated on May 5, 2023 at 8:58 amThe war rages. This one does not take place on the borders of Ukraine but more comfortably on the benches of Western universities. We censor, we exclude, we break equipment in an attempt to break minds. Caroline Eliacheff and Sylviane Agacinski have experienced this. The performance of a play by Aeschylus was prevented at the Sorbonne for the crime of “ethnohierarchy”. This war is the one that pits the "wokes" against the "reactionaries", the reactionary camp defining itself more or less as LFI defines the extreme right: everything that does not think like it. This expression of woke and reactionaries is used by the authors of "The company facing identity demands". Brice Couturier and Erell Thevenon are indeed interested in the company as a new territory for the extension of “wokism”. In addition to a fascinating point on how this movement was born in the United States and is spreading to this side of the Atlantic, it has the interest of trying to help the company to provide answers. Situational exercises Beyond a proselytizing radicalism, there remains a space to practice a "serene" policy of diversity and integration. The book even concludes with a sort of vade-mecum, “situational exercises”. How to react to such a situation, for example, what to do, apart from tearing one's hair out, if a small group of employees claiming to be radical feminists imposes a ban on the notion of meritocracy, or if, faced with a sanction, the accusation of racism or discrimination is brandished. The examples cited are legion, drawn from the sources of a survey conducted among managers and HR directors of large groups and SMEs. An offended generation, this generation that we did not see coming. A social body par excellence, it would have been abnormal if the company had not been confronted with this so-called "woke" phenomenon. Let us recall that the radical "woke" ideology, criticized by the authors, "reduces all social relations to a power relationship between oppressors and oppressed and assigns individuals to categories of victims defined according to identity criteria (skin color, gender, sexual orientation) and demanding particular advantages as such." In the basket, the reactionary notions of universalism and general or collective interest! “The universalist enterprise is one in which people are valued for what they do, not for who they are.” "For the company, there is a danger of losing sight of its economic objectives and putting furious madness on the agenda: "In the United States, we are still pretending that assiduity at work is part of white culture! Isn't this a racist position that implies Black people are used to arriving late? "Bosses or Directors of Conscience: In their review of "woke" companies in the United States, the authors are astonished to see some bosses transform into "directors of conscience," or even political activists. This is "virtue signaling": "It is easier to present oneself as a defender of minorities than to increase wages. "The book quotes a New York Times columnist on the threat made by the head of Apple to boycott Indiana, which had just allowed restaurants to refuse to host wedding receptions for same-sex marriages: 'Easier than resorting to underpaid labor in countries around the world that are much less tolerant than Indiana. "Ah, how hard it is to be virtuous!" For its part, Gillette intends to "challenge toxic masculinity", we have seen it all. Woke capitalism: when the company gets involved in politics The authors also highlight the risk of seeing the French subsidiaries of American groups become a "Trojan horse" of American wokeness. We cannot always be reassured by saying "it is not our culture", even if our secularism protects us from beliefs, and American-style anti-racism is much less rooted than in France. However, inclusive writing is increasingly used, the pronouns him/iel/her are appearing in email signatures. We are tearing down statues. In short, we are getting started, even if the journalist Valérie Toranian usefully reminds us: “The company is not the Republic. Its purpose is to do business. "The problem is that it has an Achilles' heel: its brand image." A “shitstorm” can quickly happen. So we want to give pledges, it's wokeism, not in the company, but of the company, like Louboutin exposing Assa Traoré. Banks are offering their customers to remove the courtesy on their bank cards, a micro-aggression can happen quickly. Single-sex meetingsThe company must still be careful not to cut itself off from its employees and customers. The path is narrow: “Surface wokeness is an art to be handled with finesse. The unease of those who do not recognize themselves in the ideology or feel attacked can lead to their demobilization. "Meetings for female employees in 'non-mixed' settings are not necessarily popular." The president of an international group is trying to set the record straight: "The company is at the service of its customers, its shareholders, its employees, it is not at the service of communities. “The line between sincerity and masquerade is thin,” added Pascal Bruckner. Very fine indeed. PUF, 212 pages, 15 euros. How to react to the challenges of the energy transition? How to position yourself in an unstable economic and political environment? How to best exploit innovation opportunities in each sector? Every day, through our analyses, investigations, columns, international press reviews, and editorials, we support our subscribers by giving them the tools to adapt to a complex environment. Discover our offers
Published on May 5, 2023 at 7:54Updated May 5, 2023 at 8:58 a.m.
The war is raging. This one is not taking place on the borders of Ukraine but more comfortably on the benches of Western universities. They censor, they exclude, they break equipment in an attempt to break minds. Caroline Eliacheff and Sylviane Agacinski have experienced this. The performance of a play by Aeschylus was prevented at the Sorbonne for the crime of "ethnohierarchy". This war is the one that opposes the "wokes" and the "reactionaries", the reactionary camp defining itself more or less as LFI defines the extreme right: everything that does not think like it.
This expression of woke and reactionaries is used by the authors of "The company facing identity claims". Brice Couturier and Erell Thevenon are indeed interested in the company as a new territory of extension of "wokism". In addition to a fascinating point on how this movement was born in the United States and spreads on this side of the Atlantic, it has the interest of trying to help the company to provide answers.
Role-playing exercises
Beyond a proselytizing radicalism, there remains a space to practice a "serene" policy of diversity and integration. The book even concludes with a sort of vade-mecum, "situation exercises". How to react to a situation, for example, what to do, apart from tearing your hair out, if a small group of employees claiming to be radical feminists imposes a ban on the notion of meritocracy, or if, faced with a sanction, the accusation of racism or discrimination is brandished. The examples cited are legion, drawn from the sources of a survey conducted among managers and HR directors of large groups as well as SMEs.
As a social body par excellence, it would have been abnormal if the company had not been confronted with this so-called "woke" phenomenon. Let us recall that the radical "woke" ideology, criticized by the authors, "reduces all social relations to a power struggle between oppressors and oppressed and assigns individuals to categories of victims defined according to identity criteria (skin color, gender, sexual orientation) and demanding special advantages as such." In the basket, the reactionary notions of universalism and general or collective interest! "The universalist company is one in which people are valued according to what they do and not what they are."
For the company, there is a danger of losing sight of its economic objectives and putting furious madness on the agenda: "In the United States, we still pretend that assiduity at work is part of white culture! Isn't that a racist position that implies that blacks are used to arriving late?"
Patrons or spiritual directors
In their review of "woke" companies in the United States, the authors are astonished to witness the transformation of some bosses into "spiritual directors" or even political activists. This is "virtue signaling": "It is easier to pose as a defender of minorities than to increase wages." The book quotes a columnist from the "New York Times" about the threat launched by the boss of Apple to boycott Indiana, which had just authorized restaurants to refuse to host wedding meals for gay weddings: "Easier than using underpaid labor in countries of the world much less tolerant than Indiana." Ah, how hard it is to be virtuous! For its part, Gillette intends to "challenge toxic masculinity" - we've seen it all.
The authors also highlight the risk of seeing French subsidiaries of American groups become a "Trojan horse" for American wokeness. We will not always be able to reassure ourselves with a "it's not our culture", even if our secularism protects us from beliefs, and American-style anti-racism is much less rooted than in France. Nevertheless, inclusive writing is increasingly used, the pronouns him/iel/her are appearing in email signatures. Statues are being torn down.
In short, we're getting started, even if the journalist Valérie Toranian usefully reminds us: "The company is not the Republic. Its purpose is to do business." The problem is that it has an Achilles heel, its brand image. A "shitstorm" can quickly happen. So we want to give pledges, it's wokeness, not in the company, but of the company, like Louboutin exposing Assa Traoré. Banks offer their customers to remove the civility on their bank cards, a micro-aggression can quickly happen.
Single-sex meetings
The company must still be careful not to cut itself off from its employees and customers. The path is narrow: "Surface wokeness is an art to be handled with finesse. The discomfort of those who do not recognize themselves in the ideology or feel attacked can lead to their demobilization."
"Single-sex" employee meetings are not necessarily popular. The president of an international group tries to set the record straight: "The company is at the service of its customers, its shareholders, its employees, it is not at the service of communities." "There is a fine line between sincerity and masquerade," adds Pascal Bruckner. Very fine indeed.
PUF, 212 pages, 15 euros.
How to respond to the challenges of the energy transition? How to position yourself in an unstable economic and political environment? How to best exploit the opportunities for innovation in each sector? Every day, through our analyses, investigations, columns, international press reviews and editorials, we support our subscribers by giving them the keys to adapt to a complex environment.
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