A Critical Reflection on Management Fads and Fashions: Providing a Comprehensive Framework for Evaluation of Managerial Fads and Fashions

Asghari Sarem, Ali; Sadeghi, Zahra

doi:10.48311/ormr.2026.117686.82880

A Critical Reflection on Management Fads and Fashions: Providing a Comprehensive Framework for Evaluation of Managerial Fads and Fashions

Document Type : Analytic Review

Authors

Ali Asghari Sarem ¹ ^¶

Zahra Sadeghi ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

² Ph.D. in Human Resources management, Department of Management and Accounting, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran.

10.48311/ormr.2026.117686.82880

Abstract

Fads and fashion are not merely confined to the clothing and beauty industries; rather, this social phenomenon appears to have influenced the realm of organizational and management studies and practice. By scrutinizing the phenomenon of fashionism in management, this article critically examines the negative consequences of the uncritical adoption of transient fads within the sphere of organizational studies and practice. The primary objective of this article is to raise awareness among management scholars and practitioners regarding the risks associated with the uncritical acceptance of management fads. To achieve this objective, a critical analysis methodology has been employed. Furthermore, while reviewing the literature on fashionism, the article conducts a critical analysis of a situation in which managers, without a precise evaluation of new managerial concepts and techniques, may be blindly drawn into the vortex of "fashion obsession" and, under the influence of prominent figures in the consulting industry, lead the organization into "showmanship management style. This is achieved through a case study 34000 model of human resources management as one of the prevalent and prominent fashion in Iran. The theoretical contribution of the article is to empower managers to prevent entrapment by transient management fads by proposing a comprehensive framework for evaluation of Management Fads and Fashion. This framework, presented in the form of ten evaluation criteria accompanied by three indicators for each criterion, provides a systematic approach for decision-making in the selection of new managerial concepts, models, and techniques. By utilizing this framework, managers and organizational thinkers will be capable of distinguishing transient fads from valid organizational innovations; instead of unconditional compliance with fads, they can critically analyze them, thereby safeguarding the organization against the perils of fashion obsession.

Keywords

Comprehensive Evaluation Framework of Managerial Fads and Fashions

Critical Reflection

Management Fads and Fashions

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