Is there a future for accelerationism?

Abstract

Purpose

This article contributes to the debate by arguing that addressing the core concept underpinning accelerationism and helps to unpack a number of key assumptions on the nature of capitalism, identifying areas offering new and productive insights into organisation and organisations. The scope of the article will be to examine the accelerationist literature, in particular, the core principles first emerging in the prehistory of accelerationism and further developed through the various waves and iterations of the concept.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers a conceptual approach to accelerationism. It develops a critical literature review and uses a process of exemplification to highlight insights for organisation and organisations.

Findings

The paper concludes that the underpinnings of accelerationism are not well understood and thus much of the critique misses the more intriguing and interesting insights from the cluster of ideas at its core.

Originality/value

The scope of the paper is to provide a coherent and accessible way to navigate through a complex and demanding series of concepts. The value of the paper is that it helps to identify potential insights relevant to management, marketing and organisational scholars.

Citation

Haynes, P. (2021), "Is there a future for accelerationism?", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 34 No. 6, pp. 1175-1187. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-12-2019-0398