Abstract
In The Rise of Digital Management, François-Xavier de Vaujany traces the convergence of digital technology and management practices through the industrial mobilisation of World War II and its extension during the Cold War, as well as the enduring legacy of these origins. Using a combination of historical narrative, philosophical insights, and fictional elements, the book examines how ‘digitality’ has come to structure modern lives, embedding corporate interests within seemingly neutral digital platforms.
Drawing on the management theories of Burnham (1941) and Wiener (1948), the author demonstrates how wartime coordination strategies and the emergence of cybernetic feedback systems reshaped managerial practices. These innovations shifted the focus from supervising workers’ physical presence to guiding activities through interconnected digital environments, marking a transition from the localised logic of 1930s ‘scientific management’ to the open, mobile framework of ‘digital management’ that emerged during World War II. Building on Wiener’s cybernetics, de Vaujany connects feedback-based control mechanisms initially developed for military-industrial applications to contemporary digital management practices. His analysis reveals how cybernetic ideals of predictability and control, originally applied to mechanical systems, were adapted to structure human interactions, situating digital management within a broader historical framework rooted in mid-20th-century management thinking.
The book is structured into three segments, each offering a distinct perspective on digital management. The first part traces the historical roots of managerial thought, situating the origins of digital management in post-Depression and wartime America (Chapters I–IV). The second part is more reflective, exploring digital management’s impact on autonomy and human relations (Chapters V and VI). Finally, the third section takes a speculative approach, considering how digital management might evolve in ways that further blur the line between individual agency and managerial oversight (Chapters VII and VIII). While de Vaujany offers a variety of insights on topics ranging from the ideological implications of digital management to emerging and possible alternatives, in the remainder of this review, I will focus on two contributions that strike me as particularly valuable: first, his account of the affective control of digital managerialism, and second, his tracing of the roots of modern digital management to schools of thought developed in response to the Second World War.
The first central argument of de Vaujany’s book is the erosion of depth and thickness in contemporary experience, which he attributes primarily to the advent of digital managerialism and its obsession with re-presenting the world through posts, videos, and prompts. Digital platforms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook foster a ‘continual present’, a compressed temporality prioritising immediacy over reflection. This erodes the depth traditionally afforded to human interaction, replacing it with a sense of fluidity that prevails over waiting. Interruptions create a sense of impatience as the remote past and future appear equally accessible through our digital interfaces.
From a strategic perspective, the constant connectivity and commodification of user actions result in the reprogramming of social relations, transforming them into transient, utilitarian exchanges. This emphasis on immediacy and efficiency reflects a managerial imperative that aligns digital user experience with corporate productivity goals, reducing personal engagement to data-driven metrics such as dashboards and quantified-self techniques. Yet, in contrast to overt forms of control, digital management spaces appear open and responsive, subtly fostering an apparent limitless expression of desires and providing platforms with a steady stream of fine-grained affective user data. While we are continually invited to express and re-express our desires, these desires are stunted by a lack of genuine moments of waiting and reverie. The types of desires that develop in such commodified digital environments produce ultra-individualised, consumption-focused forms of subjectivity.
While Zuboff (2019) emphasises the data extraction practices inherent in surveillance capitalism, de Vaujany broadens this discussion by framing digital infrastructures as surveillance tools and affective systems that subtly guide user behaviour within an invisible infrastructure of desires. The Rise of Digital Management focuses on the experience of digital environments as crafted, atmospheric spaces that shape user actions by inciting them to express their desires as never-ending narratives. This affective control challenges the presumed neutrality of digital tools, underscoring their embeddedness within managerial structures that prioritise corporate interests over user autonomy. By situating digital management as an orchestrated process of subjectification, de Vaujany extends critiques of surveillance capitalism, emphasising the role of digital management in shaping subjectivities within algorithmically guided environments. His approach resonates with existing critiques within platform capitalism and gig economy studies, offering a valuable lens for understanding how digital technologies have evolved from mere tools to active agents in orchestrating human desires.
The second main contribution of this book is based on a historical investigation. The author goes beyond a general understanding of the dominance of American management by offering a nuanced analysis of how this paradigm was institutionalised and disseminated. The book emphasises the critical role of World War II and the early Cold War in shaping the American managerial paradigm, arguing that the wartime industrial mobilisation initiated by Roosevelt was not merely a militaristic strategy but a catalyst for profound managerial innovation. This period saw the emergence of adaptive practices and the institutionalisation of management as a distinct discipline, separate from economics. The transition from ‘administration’ to ‘management’, marked by the rise of terms like ‘corporate strategy’ and ‘business policy’, highlights the foundational reconfiguration of management thinking.
Institutionalised through learned societies such as the Academy of Management, these innovations became central to the global dissemination of American management practices, particularly as they aligned with U.S. Cold War strategies to counter Soviet centralised models. Business schools, consulting firms, and management associations played a key role in embedding these practices, presenting the United States’ decentralised, innovation-driven model as a compelling alternative to the Soviet administrative approach.
While acknowledging the global influence of Japanese and German models in areas such as lean production or quality management, de Vaujany contends that the American paradigm, characterised by its emphasis on strategic planning, marketing, and innovation, has provided the foundational framework for managerial education and practice worldwide. He supports this claim by pointing to the widespread adoption of American academic standards by European institutions and emerging economies within the BRICS, particularly in areas like publication norms, research methodologies, and teaching approaches.
De Vaujany’s argument, however, does not rest solely on the scale of influence but also delves into its durability and adaptability. He notes that the American management ethos has thrived precisely because of its ability to incorporate and respond to global trends. This contrasts with more recent studies of the roots of post-war management in Germany and Japan (Chapoutot, 2023; Locke, 1996). This flexibility, he argues, underscores the ongoing relevance of American managerial principles in shaping contemporary practices, even as they coexist and interact with other models.
By situating these developments within their historical and geopolitical context, the researcher offers a more complex and dynamic understanding of the interplay between American and other managerial paradigms. His work thus provides a valuable corrective to some simplistic and critical narratives, positioning the American approach not as an isolated hegemony but as a constantly evolving force within the global management landscape.
In conclusion, The Rise of Digital Management presents a comprehensive and multifaceted analysis of management history and thought since World War II, drawing upon diverse disciplinary perspectives. De Vaujany invites readers to question the normative values of efficiency, transparency, and empowerment often associated with digital devices by positioning digital management as an extension of cybernetic and managerial ideologies. Ultimately, the book emphasises alternative frameworks, including the concepts of ‘question’ and digital commoning. It advocates for community-driven infrastructures prioritising ethical and democratic values over corporate imperatives. His work resonates with and extends ongoing debates in critical management studies, offering a compelling case for viewing digital infrastructures not as neutral facilitators but as active agents in structuring contemporary organisational dynamics.
