POTENTIALITIES OF THE CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF ORGANIZATIONAL STUDIES TO UNDERSTAND THE PEACE AGREEMENT AND POST-AGREEMENT IN COLOMBIA

Suárez, Juan David Arias; Mejía, Vanessa Cano

doi:10.1590/S0034-759020220605x

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ARTICLES • Rev. adm. empres. 62 (06) • 2022 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020220605x copy

POTENTIALITIES OF THE CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF ORGANIZATIONAL STUDIES TO UNDERSTAND THE PEACE AGREEMENT AND POST-AGREEMENT IN COLOMBIA

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

The peacebuilding process in Colombia involves a host of socio-political phenomena that can be approached by the organizational field. This article analyzes the peace process in Colombia, its agreement, and the social management of its post-agreement using the critical theories of organizational studies, taking some of the taxonomies suggested by Alvesson and Deetz. The methodological approach was qualitative with an analytical and interpretative methodology based on categories of analysis on the links of the peace process with the naturalization of the social order, the universalization of managerial interests, instrumental rationality, and the production of consent. In this process, the theoretical-conceptual positions, the narratives of the peace process, and its organizational manifestations were related. The relational discussion shows that there are various implicit domination structures in peacebuilding, with decisions that follow the logic of managerial efficiency and ideologies typical of the organizational fabric. The article calls for a profound transformation of the organizational structure of peace, generating discourses, strategies, and collective actions that are more committed to equity and social justice within the framework of what has been legally agreed.

Keywords:
organizational studies; peace process; peace agreement and post-agreement; critical theory.

Stages of Analysis	Approach to the Problem
Identification and selection of the problems, concepts, and evidence	Prior to a systemic inquiry process, critical perspectives of OS were selected as a theoretical framework for a greater understanding of the phenomenon of peace.
Verification of the frequency and distribution of phenomena	The identified problem is focused on the management of the PA and the P-A, selecting the events that expose the structures of domination and instrumental rationality as the problem’s most significant dimensions.
Construction of the social system in the form of models	A relational analysis of the identified categories is produced, elements are allocated in sets depending on the researcher’s conceptualization.
Final analysis and presentation of the results	The findings of the analysis process are systematized and discussed in terms of the contributions of the OS to the understanding of the problem.

Stages		Description	Main Parties Involved
Exploration		It constitutes an approach between representatives of the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP, materialized in a table of dialogue, which resulted in the General Agreement to end the conflict and build stable and lasting peace.	Government of Colombia FARC-EP
Negotiation Agenda (Development of the dialogue)	Toward a new Colombian countryside: comprehensive rural reform	Agreements were reached in terms of the negotiation agenda.	Delegates of the government Delegates of the FARC-EP Political representatives Leaders of commissions Specialized advisors
	Political participation: democratic openness for peacebuilding
	End of the conflict
	Solution to the problem of illicit drugs
	Agreement on the victims of the conflict
	Implementation, verification, and endorsement
Construction of peace / Post-agreement		Implementation stage of the obligations entered into by the parties.	Colombian State Former combatants of FARC-EP JEP Civil society

Categories of critical theory	Space with Greater Incidence	Tensions with the Signed PA and the Social Construction of the P-A
Naturalization of the social order	PA	Reasons for and ways to begin the peace process. Disruption between participation and incidence on decisions. Metaphorical strategies to begin the peace process.
Universalization of managerial interests	PA	Internal struggles to master the process. Organizational isomorphism as strategy. Referendum provides a glimpse of the shortcomings of the process.
Domination of instrumental rationality processes	P-A	Metrics and indicators as legitimation instruments. Control over execution is quantitative. The implementation of the PA evinces financial and budgetary deficiencies.
Production of consent	P-A	Discourse and metadiscourse as elements of persuasion. The judicial system in place evinces consent or rejection to the PA. Tensions coexist between the process’ control, its efficiency, legitimacy, and dissidences.

Stage	Communication Tools	Managerial Rhetoric
Secret negotiation between the government and the FARC-EP	Letters Calls	Political acknowledgment of the conflict. Discourse of collective construction of the country. Legal protection as shields to negotiate.
Peace Talks in Havana	Written public announcements Press conferences State propaganda Partial communication of what had been agreed	Search for legitimacy and social acceptance. Strengthening the discourse with international allies. The covenants sought rigorous and coherent communication. Delimiting the information that would be made public.
Execution of the PA	Public debate on the unquestionable application of what had been agreed	Statistic control of the process. Metric indicators as execution references.

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[1] AUTHOR’S CONTRIBUTION

Juan David Arias Suarez and Vanessa Cano Mejia worked on the theoretical and methodological conceptualization and approach. The theoretical review was conducted by Juan David Arias Suarez and Vanessa Cano Mejia. Data compilation was coordinated by Juan David Arias Suarez and Vanessa Cano Mejia. Data analysis included Juan David Arias Suarez and Vanessa Cano Mejia. The authors worked jointly in writing and reviewing the manuscript.

Naturalization of the social order	Socio-historical formations in conflict must not be treated as objectified or neutral entities to generate efficiency. There is criticism of the orthodoxy of the institutionalization of labor and division of labor with the aim to instill maximum control. It proposes that workers shouldcommunicate and participate in organizational aspects (Scherer, 2009Scherer, A. G. (2009). Critical theory and its contribution to critical management studies. In Alvesson, T. Brigdman, & H. Willmott (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of critical management studies. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.) unveiling arbitrariness and making room for discussion.
Universalization of managerial interests	Individual perspectives that are shaped to look like collective interests in which managerial will is sold judiciously. The ‘organizational mission’ turns into an unquestionable collective value to perpetuate univocal ways of managing organizations.
Domination of instrumental rationality processes	In this perspective, technical and instrumental reason is often assumed in organizations as a rational and legitimate way of attaining corporate goals and efficiencies.
Production of consent	Subjects within a structure of organizational domination agree to participate in the rules of the organization, looking for added returns resulting from greater subjugation to the rules.