Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ballet for the Sun King: Power, Talent and Organisation

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Social Organisation of Marketing

Abstract

Notions of “talent” and “celebrity” dominate popular culture. Whether on TV shows, in popular media or in the workplace, people talk about “talent” as something that generates or leads to prosperity and success. In this chapter we argue that the “elitist” and “subjective” forms of talent management evident in contemporary business organisations can be traced back to Louis XIVs management of the French Court in the seventeenth century. Building on Elias’s dance metaphor, we argue that talent management is structured by a plethora of management technologies and performance measures that allow senior management to maintain the boundaries of the permissible and ward off dissent before it threatens the established order.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    For an initial comparison of the work of Wouters and De Swaan see: Wouters, C. (1980).

References

  • Adamsen, B. (2016). Demystifying talent management: A critical approach to the realities of talent. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Adler, M. (1985). Stardom and talent. The American Economic Review, 75(1), 208–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, M. (2006). Stardom and talent. In V. A. Ginsburgh & D. Throsby (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of art and culture, Volume 1 (pp. 895–906). North Holland: Elsevier.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bintley, D. (2015). The King who invented ballet: Louis XIV and the noble art of dance. BBC4, Broadcast on 14th September.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolino, M. (1999). Citizenship and impression management: Good soldiers or good actors. Academy of Management Review, 24, 82–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boltansky, L., & Chiapello, E. (2005). The new spirit of capitalism. London: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowan, C.-C., Swim, J. K., & Jacobs, R. R. (2000). Evaluating gender biases on actual job performance of real people: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 2194–2215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, C., & Hird, M. (2014). A resource-based view of talent management. In P. Sparrow, H. Scullion, & I. Tarique (Eds.), Strategic talent management: Contemporary issues in multinational context (pp. 73–86). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, D. W. (1954). Issues in the study of talent. New York: Kings Crown Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J., & Harbison, F. (1957). High-talent management for science and industry. Princeton, NJ: Industrial Relations Center, Princeton University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cable, D. M., & Parsons, C. K. (2001). Socialization tactics and person-organisation fit. Personnel Psychology, 54, 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cappelli, P. (2009). What’s old is new again: managerial “talent” in an historical context. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 28, 179–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cappelli, P. (2010). The rise and decline of executive development. Industrial and Corporate Change, 19(2), 509–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clegg, S., & van Iterson, A. (2013). The effects of liquefying place, time, and organisational boundaries on employee behavior: Lessons of classical sociology. Management, 5(16). https://www.cairn.info/article_p.php?ID_ARTICLE=MANA_165_0621.

  • Collings, D. C. (2015). The contribution of talent management to organisational success. In K. Kraiger, J. Passmore, N. R. Dos Santos, & S. Malvezzi (Eds.), The psychology of training, development, and performance improvement (pp. 247–260). Chichester: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collings, D. C., & Mellahi, K. (2009). Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 19, 304–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Swaan, A. (1990). The management of normality. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elias, N. (1983). The court society. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elias, N. (2007 [1987]). Involvement and detachment. Dublin: University College Dublin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elias, N. (2008 [1986]). Introduction. In N. Elias & E. Dunning (Eds.), Quest for excitement: Sport and leisure in the civilising process (pp. 3–43). Dublin: University College Dublin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elias, N. (2012 [1939]). On the process of civilisation. Sociogenetic and psychogenetic investigations. Dublin: University College Dublin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faris, R. (1936). Sociological factors in the development of talent and genius. Journal of Educational Sociology, 9(9), 538–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferge, Z. (1997). The changed welfare paradigm: The individualization of the social. Social Policy & Administration, 31(1), 20–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fried, Y., Levi, A., Ben-David, H. A., & Tiegs, R. B. (1999). Inflation of subordinates’ performance ratings: Main and interactive effects of rater negative affectivity, documentation of work behavior, and appraisal visibility. Journal of Organisational Behavior, 20, 431–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallardo-Gallardo, E., Dries, N., & Gonzalez-Cruz, T. (2013). What is the meaning of “talent” in the world of work? Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 290–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, S. (1989). Emile Durkheim on human talents and two traditions of social justice. The British Journal of Sociology, 40(1), 97–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guthey, E., Clark, T., & Jackson, B. (2009). Demystifying business celebrity. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harel, G. H., & Tzafir, S. (2001). HRM practices in public and private sectors: Differences and similarities. Public Administration Quarterly, 25, 316–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, L., & Foster, C. (2010). Aligning talent management with approaches to equality and diversity. Challenges to UK public managers. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 29(5), 422–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayward, M., Rindova, V., & Pollock, T. G. (2004). Believing one’s own press: The causes and consequences of CEO celebrity. Strategic Management Journal, 25(7), 637–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingworth, L. T. (1923). Special talents and defects: The significance for education. New York: Macmillan & Co.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, B. E. (2001). Human resources and industrial relations: Commonalities and differences. Human Resource Management Review, 11, 339–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khurana, R. (2002). Searching for a corporate saviour: The irrational quest for charismatic CEOs. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuzmics, H. (1991). Embarrassment and civilisation: On some similarities and differences in the work of Goffman and Elias. Theory, Culture and Society, 8(2), 1–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefkowitz, J. (2000). The role of interpersonal affective regard in supervisory performance ratings: A literature review and proposed causal model. Journal of Occupational & Organisational Psychology, 73, 67–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J. (2005). Governmentalisation and local strategic partnerships: Whose priorities? Environment and Planning C, Government and Policy, 23(6), 907–922.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J. (2011). Urban regeneration partnerships: A figurational critique of governmentality theory. Sociology, 45(1), 86–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J., & Milbourne, P. (2017). The structural invisibility of outsiders: The role of migrant labour in the meat-processing industry. Sociology, 51(2), 306–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J., & Powell, R. (forthcoming). “Problems of involvement and detachment”: Norbert Elias and the investigation of contemporary social processes. Sociology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. J. (1997). Inventing sincerity, refashioning prudence: The discovery of the individual in renaissance Europe. The American Historical Review, 102(5), 1309–1342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. K. (1988). The Matthew effect in science, II. Cumulative advantage and the symbolism of intellectual property. ISIS, 79, 606–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Alexrod, B. (2001). The war for talent. Boston: Harvard Business Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milling-Robbins, S. (2007). Evolving identities: An investigation into female ballet dancers perceptions of self and vocation (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The Texas Women’s University, Texas, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, C. W. (1957). The power elite. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, P. C. (1990). Physical attractiveness and selection decision-making. Journal of Management, 16, 45–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton, T. (2001). Organization: The relevance and the limitations of Elias. Organization, 8(3), 467–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson-Buchanan, J. B. (1996). Voicing discontent: What happens to the grievance filer after the grievance? Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 52–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J. (2001). Fighting the war for talent is hazardous to your organisations health. Organizational Dynamics, 29(4), 248–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, K., & Wilkinson, R. G. (2010). The spirit level: Why more equal societies almost always do better. Penguin: New Edition..

    Google Scholar 

  • Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the twenty-first century. Boston: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rainey, H. G., & Chun, Y. H. (2005). Public and private management compared. In E. Ferlie, L. E. Lynn, & C. Pollitt (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of public management (pp. 72–102). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodger, J. J. (2008). Criminalising social policy: Anti-social behaviour and welfare in a de-civilised Society. Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosen, S. (1981). The economics of superstars. American Economic Review, 71(5), 845–858.

    Google Scholar 

  • Royal Opera House (2016). Dancers. http://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet/dancers. Accessed 12 May 2016.

  • Ruddy, T., & Anand, P. (2010). Managing talent in global organisations. In R. Silzer & B. E. Dowell (Eds.), Strategy-driven talent management – A leadership imperative (pp. 549–593). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scullen, S. E., Mount, M. K., & Goff, M. (2000). Understanding the latent structure of job performance ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 956–970.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sennett, R. (2002 [1977]). The fall of public man. London: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silzer, R., & Church, A. H. (2009). The pearls and perils of identifying potential. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 2, 377–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swailes, S. (2013). Troubling some assumptions: A response to “The role of perceived organisational justice in shaping the outcomes of talent management: a research agenda”. Human Resource Management Review, 23, 354–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swailes, S. (2016). The cultural evolution of talent management: A memetic analysis. Human Resource Development Review, 15, 340–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swailes, S., & Blackburn, M. (2016). Employee reactions to talent pool membership. Employee Relations, 38(1), 112–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swailes, S., Downs, Y., & Orr, K. (2014). Conceptualising inclusive talent management: Potential, possibilities and practicalities. Human Resource Development International, 17(5), 529–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tansley, C. (2011). What do we mean by the term “talent” in talent management? Industrial and Commercial Training, 43, 266–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Truss, C. (2001). Complexities and controversies in linking HRM with organisational outcomes. Journal of Management Studies, 38, 1121–1149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Iterson, A., Mastenbroek, W., & Soeters, J. (2001). Civilizing and informalizing: Organizations in an Eliasian context. Organization, 8(3), 497–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Iterson, A., Mastenbroek, W., Newton, T., & Smith, D. (Eds.). (2002). The civilized organization: Norbert Elias and the future of organization studies. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Krieken, R. (1990). The organisation of the soul: Elias and Foucault on discipline and the self. Archives Europeénnes de Sociologie, 31(2), 353–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Krieken, R. (1998). Norbert Elias. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Krieken, R. (2012). Celebrity society. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Vree, W. (1999). Meetings, manners and civilisation: The development of modern meeting behaviour. London: Leicester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Vree, W., & Bos, G. (1989). Vergaderen, verhoofsing en parlementarisering. Amsterdams Sociologisch Tijdschrift, 16(3), 52–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society, Vols. 1 and 2. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whyte, W. H. (1956). The organisation man. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilterdink, N. (1995). Increasing income inequality and wealth concentration in the prosperous societies of the West. Studies in Comparative International Development (SCID), 30(3), 3–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, D. L. (1971). The uses of talent. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouters, C. (1980, January 5–6) Negotiating with De Swaan, paper presented at the British Sociological Association Conference on “The Civilising Process and Figurational Sociology”, University of Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouters, C. (1986). Formalization and informalization: Changing tension balances in civilising processes. Theory, Culture and Society, 3(2), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wouters, C. (1989). The sociology of emotions and flight attendants: Hochschild’s managed heart. Theory, Culture & Society, 6(1), 447–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wouters, C. (2007) Informalization: Manners and Emotions Since 1890, London: Sage

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., Dunford, B. B., & Snell, S. A. (2001). Human resources and the resource based view of the firm. Journal of Management, 27(6), 701–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, University of Huddersfield Business School, Huddersfield, UK

    John Lever & Stephen Swailes

Authors
  1. John Lever
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen Swailes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Lever .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dublin City University , Dublin, Ireland

    John Connolly

  2. Dublin Institute of Technology , Dublin, Ireland

    Paddy Dolan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lever, J., Swailes, S. (2017). Ballet for the Sun King: Power, Talent and Organisation. In: Connolly, J., Dolan, P. (eds) The Social Organisation of Marketing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51571-7_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation