The power of “talk” in HRM‐based change

This article uses discourse theory to examine the rhetoric of human resource management (HRM) in shaping organisational change. Built on the assumptions that people actively construct their “organisational world” and that language is central to these processes of social construction, HRM is treated as a discursive resource that can be used by managers to persuade employees to accept a particular world view of organisational change. Drawing upon a private sector case study, the article highlights important implications on the use of HRM rhetoric not addressed by conventional research designs concerned with notions of “strategic fit” and “best practice”. Here organisations are treated as being part of an objective reality that can be “measured” using some kind of statistical analysis. This article challenges assumptions underpinning these designs and examines the potential of discourse theory to develop richer insights into questions about the practicalities and ethics of managing meaning at the workplace.