Dignity at Work

by Randy Hodson

• ISBN13: 9780521778121
• ISBN10: 0521778123
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-10
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Human dignity, the ability to establish a sense of self-worth and self-respect and to enjoy the respect of others, is necessary for a fully realized life. Working with dignity is a fundamental part of achieving a life well-lived, yet the workplace often poses challenging obstacles because of mismanagement or managerial abuse. Defending dignity and realizing self-respect through work are key to workers' well-being; insuring the dignity of employees is equally important for organizations as they attempt to make effective use of their human capital. In this book Randy Hodson, a sociologist of work and organizational behavior, applies ethnographic and statistical approaches to this topic, offering both a richly detailed, inside look at real examples of dignity in action, and a broader analysis of the pivotal role of dignity at work.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	x
Preface	xiii
Part I Dignity and Its Challenges
Four Faces of Working with Dignity	3	(19)
The Quest for Dignity	5	(11)
Safeguarding Dignity	16	(3)
Denials of Dignity	19	(1)
Conclusions	20	(2)
Toward a Theory of Dignity	22	(28)
Alienation, Anomie, and Bureaucratic Rationality	22	(7)
Modern Industrial Society	29	(5)
Obstacles and Opportunities	34	(7)
Working with Dignity	41	(8)
Conclusions	49	(1)
Measuring the Subtle Realms of Work	50	(33)
Organizational Ethnographies	51	(2)
A New Method and New Insights	53	(6)
Strategies for Safeguarding Dignity	59	(14)
Denials of Dignity	73	(7)
Conclusions	80	(3)
Part II The Practice of Dignity
Deflecting Abuse and Mismanagement	83	(32)
A History of Mismanagement and Abuse	83	(4)
Direct Personal Supervision	87	(4)
Workplace Norms against Mismanagement and Abuse	91	(8)
Responses to Abuse	99	(6)
Responses to Mismanagement	105	(5)
Social Group Differences	110	(3)
Conclusions	113	(2)
Avoiding Overwork	115	(25)
Assembly Work	119	(5)
Monotony, Exit, and Resistance	124	(7)
Lost Opportunities for Citizenship	131	(3)
Social Group Differences	134	(4)
Conclusions	138	(2)
Defending Autonomy	140	(31)
Professional and Craft Autonomy	141	(5)
The Experience of Professional and Craft Work	146	(6)
Citizenship in Professional and Craft Work	152	(5)
Resistance in Professional and Craft Work	157	(4)
Organizational Size and Outside Ownership	161	(4)
Social Group Differences	165	(3)
Conclusions	168	(3)
Negotiating Employee Involvement	171	(29)
The Varieties of Participation	172	(9)
Work Life under Employee Involvement	181	(6)
Employee Involvement and Resistance	187	(2)
Employee Involvement and Citizenship	189	(4)
Social Group Differences	193	(2)
Conclusions	195	(5)
Coworkers-For Better or Worse	200	(37)
The Social Context of Work Life	200	(3)
Coworkers and the Meaning of Work	203	(2)
Solidarity and Infighting	205	(8)
Coworker Relations under Bad Management	213	(7)
Coworkers in Assembly Jobs	220	(2)
Job Autonomy and Workplace Relations	222	(3)
Participation and Coworker Support	225	(3)
Conflict and Tension in Service Work	228	(2)
Coworker Relations across Social Groups	230	(1)
Conclusions	231	(6)
Part III The Future of Dignity
Worker Dignity and Well-Being	237	(22)
A Synthesis	237	(4)
Infighting, Resistance, and Citizenship	241	(5)
Dignity and Well-Being	246	(10)
Conclusions	256	(3)
Dignity, Agency, and the Future of Work	259	(15)
What Have We Learned?	259	(5)
Theorectical Implications	264	(4)
The Classics Revisited	268	(1)
Implications for Organizations	269	(1)
Ethnographies as Data	270	(3)
Conclusions	273	(1)
References	274	(25)
Appendix A A Brief History of the Workplace Ethnography (W.E.) Project	299	(4)
Appendix B Workplace Ethnography Data Set	303	(4)
Appendix C Supplemental Tables	307	(4)
Index	311