Modes of professional subjection: an analysis of labor relations in the field of innovation

Abstract This study analyzes how modes of subjection are revealed in discursive practices about the working relationships of innovation professionals. The research starts from the understanding that these modes of subjection are evident in labor relations in the professional field of innovation, based on Foucauldian theory. We analyze the speeches made by these professionals. The empirical scope was innovation professionals from the creative economy and information and communication technology fields. Fourteen narrative interviews were conducted with specialists from different locations in Brazil, adopting criteria of representativeness and saturation. The findings show 2 modes of subjection: austerity, which shows the subjection that the professional exerts on themselves as a relational process of the subject with themselves, according to their life experiences, going through family power structures, moral attachments, and emotional and material difficulties; and conformity, which reveals the subjection arising specifically from the professional dimension, showing how the subject binds themselves to the rules of their field, marked by constant and compulsory connectivity, as well as excessive stress. Both modes of subjection highlight aspects of neoliberal logic and the field of innovation. The research contributes to the field of innovation both theoretically, through an approach uncommon in works in the area, and in terms of applicability, by highlighting important aspects that can influence the work of professionals, which can be taken into account in the management policies of organizations.