The Meaning of "Performative"

The term "performative" is used extensively in some academic circles. In management, the term sometimes refers to the ways in which management practices and actions are used to create and reinforce particular meanings and realities (such as power structures and hierarchies) within organizations.

It suggests that management practices are not simply neutral tools for achieving organizational goals, but are often used to construct and maintain specific power relationships and norms that help perpetuate or strengthen them. From this perspective, these practices are seen as performative in the sense that they attempt o construct and reinforce hierarchies, power relationships, and cultural norms rather than conform to certain idealized aims or avowed principles like the "common good" and "employee well-being."