w4 employment perspectives

theory of the firm (coase 1937)

firm and market as alternative ways of organizing economic activity; firms exist because coordinating some activities through a management hierarchy is more efficient than transacting in the free market

international labor organization definiton of employment

work for use by others in exchange for pay or profit, including self-employment

employment contract

flexible, indeterminate, open-ended, incomplete
employer agrees to provide certain benefits (eg. wage) regardless of economic performance of the business

social exchange theory (blau 1964)

exchange of heterogeneous resources, based on the norm of reciprocity, unspecified and long-term

the psychological contract

employment as a social exchange governed by a ‘__________’

the perception of both employee and employer of the mutual obligations

formation of the psychological contract

early life → recruitment → socialization

fulfillment of psychological contract

increased emotional wellbeing

higher employee engagement

greater loyalty & commitment

improved performance

breach of psychological contract

reduced emotional wellbeing

lower job satisfaction

more cynical attitudes

higher turnover & withdrawal

critical perspectives of organizations

organizations are systems of domination serving interests of those holding power

pursuit of efficiency and profit at workers’ expense

material and social inequalities persist

employees’ power weakened by lack of institutional curbs

material conditions determine individuals’ ability to meet basic needs

structuralist (marxian) perspective

focuses on political economy

structuralist (marxian) perspective

managerial power comes from control of means of production

structuralist (marxian) perspective

employment contracts reflect objective economic structures; seen as formalized expressions of roles, rights, & responsibilities

structuralist (marxian) perspective

emphasizes collective norms (eg. union agreements, standardized job classifications)

structuralist (marxian) perspective

structuralist response

unionization

collective bargaining of employment

resistance through collective action

organizations as sites of power, surveillance, and control

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective

constant surveillance, panopticon

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective on surveillance

normalization: comparing workers against a standard

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective

ranking & hierachies

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective

workers disclose their own failings

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective -

confession

identity regulation: creating an identity defined as norm

post-structuralist (focauldian) perspective

post-structuralist response

activism

cynicism

sabotage, etc.

emancipatory perspectives

extend/combine marxian and focauldian perspectives to examine organization practices systematically create inequalities