"Non-Artistic Kitsch offers a provocative and illuminating exploration of the ubiquitous and often understated influence of kitsch in various aspects of human and organisational life. Re- and deconstructing kitsch in various realms and disciplines, this book delves into the multi-faceted and complex nature and culture of kitsch and how it influences and is influenced by individuals, organisations, and society. The reader is invited into a fascinating journey into the world of tacky taste and complexities of kitsch. With profound insights from renowned experts, this stirring book is both entertaining and enlightening and provides a critical understanding of the power of various forms of kitsch and kitschification." (Wendelin Küpers, Professor of Leadership and Organization Studies, Karlshochschule International University, Germany) "Kitsch has long been regarded as an important concept in aesthetics but its significance for other fields has remained unexplored. Shifting attention from kitsch as being a stylistic property of the object to being an affective and epistemological property of the response to the object opens up its relevance for a huge new range of fields. Szostak and his colleagues brilliantly map this new non-aesthetic terrain in this long-needed but still exciting volume. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in how common sense and common sensation become easy formulae for failing to engage reality.

The contributors clearly show how essential a critical mindset is for establishing authentic relationships with the world and each other, a precondition for better futures." (Stephen Andrew Linstead, Professor of Management Humanities, School for Business and Society, University of York, UK) "A thoughtful exploration of kitsch that considers the pros and the cons of creating kitsch in a variety of non-artistic domains. As we strive for mastery in whatever we do, the question of kitsch is helpful in getting us there." (Steven S. Taylor, Professor of Leadership & Creativity, Business School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) "Is the commercialisation of education kitsch? Are situated political games kitsch? Are certain aspects of religious liturgy kitsch? Through a wide range of cases, the book challenges organisational scholars and students to critically explore the aesthetic category of kitsch - widely debated in philosophical aesthetics - in everyday organisational practices and thus provides an interesting and significant contribution to the study of the aesthetic dimension of organisational life." (Antonio Strati, Professor of Sociology of Organizations, Department of Sociology & Social Research, University of Trento, Italy) "This book introduces a novel and comprehensive theory of kitsch, extending its application from aesthetics and art to various scientific domains. The book is an expression of an extremely thorough, multi-faceted, and interdisciplinary research effort, and the discussions contained therein are comprehensive. I believe that the topic of kitsch in management is new, cognitively interesting and important from the point of view of both theory and practice, regardless of national culture or region of the world.

It is a very current issue. The author invited high-class specialists in the given subject to collaborate. The prefaces written by outstanding researchers in humanistic management are invaluable. A must-read for scholars, practitioners, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of kitsch and modern management." (Regina Lenart-Gansiniec, Professor of Management, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Poland).