Introduction
Why do we constantly feel under pressure, exhausted, and disconnected from what truly matters? Why is finding meaning in our work—and in life—becoming harder than ever? Behind this growing unease lies a silent revolution: the managerialization of society.
Management is no longer confined to businesses or project teams. It has become a dominant logic, shaping how we live, work, learn, raise our children, and even organize our thoughts and emotions. It defines how institutions operate and how individuals define success.
This deep transformation explains many of today’s problems: burnout, loss of autonomy, chronic stress, senseless work, disconnection from community, and the collapse of meaning.
In this long-form article, we explore what the managerial society is, how it affects every corner of our lives, and most importantly—how to resist it, rethink it, and reclaim our humanity.
What Is a Managerial Society?
When most people hear the word management, they think of leadership, coordination, or project delivery. But the managerial paradigm has evolved into something much larger.
It is now a system of control, a science of human behavior, and a technocratic ideology. Management has absorbed concepts from biology, cybernetics, economics, and psychology to create a powerful framework that shapes our behavior through:
- Key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Real-time monitoring
- Feedback loops
- Self-optimization
- Process standardization
This system governs our schools, hospitals, government agencies, relationships, and homes. It has become invisible, yet all-encompassing.
Living in a Feedback Loop: The New Panopticon
A defining feature of the managerial society is the perpetual feedback loop—a concept borrowed from cybernetics. Every action is monitored, measured, and corrected in real time.
Examples include:
- Smartwatches tracking your sleep, steps, heart rate, and stress.
- Productivity apps analyzing your focus and time allocation.
- Performance reviews at work with measurable goals and outcomes.
- Children in preschool evaluated for “competency development.”
- Online platforms recommending “life optimization” strategies.
In short, we are constantly being monitored—not just by others, but by ourselves. This creates an internalized system of control that leads to one inevitable outcome: chronic adaptation and fatigue.
Why Burnout Is Not a Flaw—It’s a Feature
One of the most visible symptoms of the managerial society is burnout. While often framed as a personal weakness or poor time management, burnout is in fact the logical result of permanent adaptation.
In this system:
- Change is the only constant.
- Rest is not recognized as productive.
- “Agility” and “resilience” are required at all times.
- The line between work and personal life has dissolved.
The result? Emotional exhaustion, decision fatigue, decreased empathy, and deep disengagement.
We are not breaking down because we are weak—we are breaking down because we are not machines.
Work Without Meaning: The Bullshit Job Epidemic
Another profound impact of the managerial paradigm is the loss of meaning in work.
Many people now report feeling that their jobs are pointless, repetitive, or detached from any tangible outcome. These so-called bullshit jobs are often managerial creations: layers of reporting, compliance, and coordination that serve internal performance systems rather than real human needs.
This leads to:
- A sense of futility.
- Cynicism toward leadership.
- Erosion of personal purpose.
- Detachment from craftsmanship, care, and creativity.
In the name of efficiency, the managerial system often disconnects people from the value of their work.
School as an Onboarding Platform for the Managerial World
Even education has not been spared. Schools now function more like talent pipelines for the labor market than places of intellectual and moral development.
From early childhood, students are:
- Assessed through standardized rubrics.
- Trained to develop employable “competencies.”
- Encouraged to self-evaluate and self-improve.
- Fed into a system focused on compliance and output.
The goal is not to help children grow into thoughtful, autonomous citizens—but to optimize them for a system that values productivity above all.
Home Life Under Control: Domestic Managerialism
Managerial logic also penetrates the private and intimate spheres:
- Families use spreadsheets to plan vacations and budgets.
- Parents follow performance-based parenting programs.
- Homes are reorganized by productivity coaches.
- Apps track habits, moods, and even romantic relationships.
In this environment, even rest, pleasure, and love become projects to manage. We become both the overseer and the product.
What we lose is spontaneity, imperfection, and the beauty of the unplanned.
Institutional Collapse and the Rise of Self-Referential Individuals
Historically, institutions served as mediators between the individual and the collective, offering shared narratives, symbols, and purposes.
But today, institutions themselves are being reduced to performance-driven organizations. The school, the hospital, the court, and even religious communities are evaluated based on KPIs and ROI.
As these institutions weaken, individuals are left to:
- Invent their own values.
- Justify their own existence.
- Navigate life without guidance or authority.
This fuels a culture of hyper-individualism, where everyone is their own guru, coach, and therapist—but no one knows what anything means anymore.
The Manic-Depressive Cycle of Modern Life
When individuals are left without symbolic anchors or trusted institutions, they may enter a manic-depressive cycle:
- In the manic phase: “I can be anything, do anything, create my own rules.”
- In the crash: “Nothing matters, no one understands me, I am alone.”
This dynamic is amplified by the wellness industry, which often sells empowerment on the surface—but reinforces the managerial logic underneath.
Addiction to stimulants, self-help rituals, or even toxic positivity can mask the underlying problem: we are trying to solve an existential crisis with performance tools.
The Corporation as the New Church?
As traditional institutions fade, the corporation becomes the new locus of meaning.
Organizations now try to fill spiritual and emotional gaps with:
- Company values and missions.
- Team-building retreats.
- “Mindfulness at work” sessions.
- Wellness dashboards and coaching programs.
Corporate culture is increasingly designed to mimic rituals, symbols, and beliefs once found in religious life—but reprogrammed for productivity.
This creates a pseudo-spirituality: one that soothes without transforming.
Strategies for Resistance and Renewal
So, how do we resist the managerial society without falling into nihilism or paranoia?
For Individuals
✅ Reclaim your time: Slow down. Set boundaries. Protect unstructured time.
✅ Reconnect with non-productive experiences: Read poetry, walk aimlessly, be bored.
✅ Detach from self-tracking tools: Not everything needs a dashboard.
✅ Rebuild ritual: Create personal or collective rituals that aren’t tied to productivity.
✅ Form authentic communities: Seek real connection beyond roles or brands.
For Professionals and Organizations
✅ Humanize the workplace: Shift from output obsession to relational care.
✅ Revalue craft: Celebrate depth over speed, mastery over multitasking.
✅ Protect institutional integrity: Resist transforming every mission into KPIs.
✅ Question best practices: Are they really serving humans—or just the system?
✅ Make space for silence, doubt, and messiness: True innovation is born there.
Conclusion: You Are Not a System
The managerial society promises order, clarity, and control. But in reality, it delivers stress, fragmentation, and spiritual emptiness.
What we need is not more optimization—but more humanness.
We must remember:
We are not algorithms. We are not machines. We are not dashboards. We are human beings.
To reclaim joy, meaning, and freedom, we need to step outside the loop, slow down, and reengage with what makes life worth living—relationships, creation, contemplation, and care.
A different world is possible. But first, we must see the one we’re living in.