From control to silence: How authoritarian practices reshape social interaction: A field study at the Skikda Hospital Institution

Abstract

Organisations constitute purposeful social entities that strive to achieve predetermined objectives and strategic plans. In this pursuit, they work relentlessly to preserve their internal environment, maintain organisational stability, and maximise the utilisation of material resources, whose critical importance has been firmly established throughout history. Contemporary management particularly emphasises the paramount importance of the human factor within work organisations, through which competitive advantage is ultimately realised. Accordingly, scientific research in sociology, especially in the sociology of organisations and work, has undergone remarkable development, driven by recent scholarly efforts to address emerging problems within organisations. Among these problems, authoritarian practices play a central role in shaping social interaction dynamics. Within this framework, the latter represents one of the most significant themes in the management and development of institutions, having attracted broad interest from thinkers and researchers across diverse disciplines. This interest stems from both the intrinsic value of power itself and the fact that this field of inquiry is a fertile domain and an essential means for understanding and developing institutions. The practical implementation of authoritarian practices, to a considerable extent, ensures interaction among workers within the institution, thereby contributing to its success, development, and distinction.