Os “pontos cegos” das teorias organizacionais segundo Guerreiro Ramos

Abstract

This article is based on two books, Administracao e contexto brasileiro (Administration and Brazilian context ) and A nova ciencia das oganizacoes (The new science of organizations), written by Guerreiro Ramos. The study presents the main aspects of the organizational theories analyzed by the author, observing particularly what he calls “blind spots”. Guerreiro Ramos exposes four crucial points that organizational theories fail to address and, in the development of these points, demonstrates concepts that are absorbed and transformed. The “blind spots” are: a) the notion of rationality that dominates not only organizational studies but also economics, political science, and social sciences; b) the non-distinction between substantive and formal meanings of organization; c) organizational theories have no clear understanding of the role of symbolic interactions; and d)finally, organizational theories rely only on a mechanomorphic view of the human. Guerreiro Ramos lists the points in a specific chapter of the book A nova ciencia das organizacoes (The new science of organizations), and analyzes and explains them throughout the two works guiding this research. It appears that the author needed to present these blind points thoroughly before proposing his multidimensional model of society (which is not addressed in this study), a measure that may be explained by the extension and depth of his work, observed by the numerous possible agendas presented by several scholars in order to continue the study of Guerreiro Ramos’ contributions. It is possible to conclude that Guerreiro Ramos’ ideas remain current, and the criticisms and concerns he brought to the field of organizational studies are relevant and fundamental for those who intend to develop critical studies both in teaching and development managerial approaches.