Coaching and national production in the 21st century: Manifestations and practices of neoliberal organization

Abstract

This article analyzes the academic production on coaching in Brazil this century. Under the aegis of global neoliberalism, the theoretical framework seeks to understand the intersections between economistic imperatives and the practice of coaching in organizations. In this sense, we sought to investigate the conflict between economic rationality and human subjectivity, as well as exemplify the constructions of Organizational Studies in the face of contemporary scenarios. Regarding the methodological approach, this study used bibliometrics to survey the national publication on the topic of coaching in the country and, subsequently, analyzed the articles according to the methodology of Bardin (2011), having as categories the five elements identified in the theoretical framework: human resources policies, bureaucracy, psychological domination, quantaphrenia and work flexibility. From the understanding of the concepts of neoliberal organization, it was identified that studies on the topic confirm the functionalist character of normalizing and conditioning human existence according to the instrumental standards of the economic system, contrary to the human social and dialogic condition. Answering the main research question, the practice of coaching in Brazil is idealized for human development according to neoliberal standards, that is, according to the conception of the one-dimensional man, the human being is a company, as objectivity organizational colonizes personal subjectivity in order to acquire primacy over social action.