IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ecoind/v19y1998i1p33-58.html

Images of Good Work and the Politics of Teamwork

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Badham

    (University of Wollongong, Australia)

  • Ulrich Jurgens

    (Science Centre, Berin)

Abstract

Contemporary empirical studies of teamwork take much of their inspiration from long-standing conflicting images of 'good' work in modem societies. In particular, the 'machine', 'anomie' and 'alienation' images have had a strong influence on theoretical development and empirical research. Rather than criticizing the dominance of this imagery, this article argues for a more selfconscious and comprehensive exploitation of its richness and diversity. Contemporary studies of teamwork are more often than not held back by a reduction of fundamental theoretical issues and tensions to matters of simple empirical tests and a 'forced' choice between perspectives and a general decline in attention to the 'alienation' image. The argument herein is made through a reanalysis of the classic and exemplary debate between Adler and Cole and Berggren over teamwork in NUMMI and Uddevalla.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Badham & Ulrich Jurgens, 1998. "Images of Good Work and the Politics of Teamwork," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 19(1), pages 33-58, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:19:y:1998:i:1:p:33-58
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X98191003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0143831X98191003
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0143831X98191003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephen Dunn, 1990. "Root Metaphor in the Old and New Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 1-31, March.
    2. Gouldner, Alvin W., 1955. "Metaphysical Pathos and the Theory of Bureaucracy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(2), pages 496-507, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stephen Dunn, 1993. "From Donovan to … Wherever," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 31(2), pages 169-187, June.
    2. Alice Klettner & Thomas Clarke & Martijn Boersma, 2016. "Strategic and Regulatory Approaches to Increasing Women in Leadership: Multilevel Targets and Mandatory Quotas as Levers for Cultural Change," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 395-419, February.
    3. Raelin, Joseph A., 2020. "Hierarchy’s subordination of democracy and how to outrank it," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(5), pages 620-633.
    4. Stephen Dunn & Martyn Wright, 1994. "Maintaining the ‘Status Quo’? An Analysis of the Contents of British Collective Agreements, 1979–1990," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(1), pages 23-46, March.
    5. Stephen Dunn, 1991. "Root Metaphor in Industrial Relations: A Reply to Tom Keenoy," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 29(2), pages 329-336, June.
    6. Paul S. Adler, 2012. "PERSPECTIVE—The Sociological Ambivalence of Bureaucracy: From Weber via Gouldner to Marx," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(1), pages 244-266, February.
    7. Dimitrov, Kiril, 2019. "Human resource management in business organizations under exponential growth conditions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 15(1).
    8. Richard Hyman, 1994. "Theory and Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 165-180, June.
    9. Rachel Bailey, 1994. "Annual Review Article 1993: British Public Sector Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(1), pages 113-136, March.
    10. Raelin, Joseph A., 2016. "Imagine there are no leaders: Reframing leadership as collaborative agency," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(2), pages 131-158.
    11. Gideon Sjoberg, 1960. "Contradictory functional requirements and social systems," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 4(2), pages 198-208, June.
    12. Vincent Pasquier & Thibault Daudigeos & Marcos Barros, 2020. "Towards a New Flashmob Unionism: The Case of the Fight for 15 Movement," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 336-363, June.
    13. Panagiotopoulos, Miltiadis, 2005. "The Evolution of Trade Unions in Britain," MPRA Paper 4290, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2007.
    14. Daryl D'Art & Thomas Turner, 2002. "The Decline of Worker Solidarity and the End of Collectivism?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 23(1), pages 7-34, February.
    15. Sarah Ashwin & Rafael Gomez & Patrice Laroche, 2026. "David Marsden's Comparative and Theoretical Craft: Signposts to a Better World of Work," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 64(1), pages 91-100, March.
    16. Eric Batstone, 1983. "Organization and Orientation: A Life Cycle Model of French Co-operatives," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 4(2), pages 139-161, May.
    17. Amernic, Joel & Craig, Russell, 2017. "CEO speeches and safety culture: British Petroleum before the Deepwater Horizon disaster," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 61-80.
    18. Anne-Marie Greene & Peter Ackers & John Black, 2001. "Lost Narratives? From Paternalism to Team-Working in a Lock Manufacturing Firm," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 22(2), pages 211-237, May.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:19:y:1998:i:1:p:33-58. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ekhist.uu.se/english.htm .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.