Because it represents a threat not only for health but also for productivity, psychological violence at work is the subject of increasing attention. Meanwhile, management is seen as a practice that is more and more instrumented and consequently dehumanized. To what extent do management tools participate in psychological violence at work? Is it possible to attribute them directly to some forms of violence? Or should we rather see violence as only the result of deviant practices? Seeking to clarify these issues, this paper presents a critical review of the available literature that links management tools and workplace violence, and then discusses the lessons learned. It shows in particular that if management tools are often vectors of violence, they can also been seen as regulators or pacifiers.