The Future of Workers in the Modern Sector

Our starting point was that in recent years there has been a great deal of loose talk about ‘globalisation’ but that very little of this has related to one of the forces in the contemporary world that has been most affected by the increased velocity at which ideas and new practices circulate – management. Of course factory managers in Turkey are no more likely to implement modern management practice to the letter than those in any other country. They have a job to do and take what they think is best suited. It is our contention, however, that they speak, think and act increasingly like managers who do the same job in more advanced capitalist societies. This is not at all surprising. They read the same books and articles. They have listened to, or at least heard of, the same gurus and international consultants. They have experienced the same kind of formal business education. They have sometimes been directly exposed to managers from these other countries and the practices of the corporations that they run whether through direct foreign ownership or through joint ventures. Sure enough, there are cultural differences but the main reality is that in the modern sector of the Turkish economy management is part of a recognisable global force.