Dignity and the Organization (eBook)

Monika Kostera is Professor Ordinaria and Chair of Management at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and Professor and Chair in Management at Durham University, UK. She has authored and edited over 35 books in Polish and English, and a number of articles published in scholarly journals. Michael Pirson is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Humanistic Management at Fordham University, US. He is a Research Fellow at Harvard University, a distinguished fellow at Case Western Reserve University, and the Interim President of the Humanistic Management Network. He is a full member of the Club of Rome and has received various awards for his work, including from the Academy of Management.     

Contents 7
Notes on Contributors 9
List of Figures 12
List of Tables 13
1: Introduction to Dignity and Organization 14
References 21
2: Dignity in Organizing from the Perspective of  Hannah Arendt’s Worldliness 23
Arendtian Worldliness as Plurality and Durability 25
The Urge to Appear 27
The Dignity of a Durable Human World 29
Culture in a World without Tradition 30
Dignity in Human Activities and Organizing as Conditioning Dignity 32
Organizing as Conditioning Human Freedom 34
Freedom and Equality as Feats of Organization 35
The Dignity of Common Sense 35
Personal Taste and a Longing to Belong 36
The Reality Sense 36
Liquidation of Freedom by Defeating Common Sense and Enacting Laws of Movement 37
Indignation as a “Natural Response” to Breaches of Indignity 39
Dignity in Management and Organization 39
Obedience in Authoritarian Organizations 40
Polis as Organized Remembrance and as Space of Appearance 40
Exploitation of Human Potential for Action as Undignifying or Totalitarian 41
What Does It Mean to Share a Common World? 42
Organizing and Management as Conditioning Dignity 43
Reflective Boundary Management 43
Organizing by Engaging in Sensus Communis on Dignity 45
Arendtian Culture 45
Chapter Summary 46
References 46
Works by Hannah Arendt Are Referred to by Abbreviations 46
3: Dignity and Membership: A Route to the Heart of How Dignity Is Done in Everyday Interaction 49
Introduction 49
Dignity: Transcendent Human Property or Performative Social Outcome? 51
Knowing Dignity: Performativity and Accounts 56
Membership as Method: The Accomplishment and Accounting of Everyday Dignity 59
Doing Dignity: The Benefits and Consequences of a Performative Approach 63
Chapter Summary 65
References 66
4: Dignity and Species Difference Within Organizations 70
Introduction 70
Is It Meaningful to Talk About Animal Dignity? 72
Does ‘Animal Dignity’ Make Sense in the ‘Real World’ of Organizations? 75
Animals in the Making as Actors in Networks 81
Dignity: A Radical Respecification 83
Conclusion 87
Chapter Summary 88
References 88
5: Dignity at the Level of the Firm: Beyond the Stakeholder Approach 92
Introduction: The Role of the Firm under Discussion 92
The Concept of Human Dignity 94
Dignity and the Integrative Social Contracts Theory (ISCT) 97
Human Dignity Inside the Firm: From Theory to Practice 100
Summary of the Chapter 102
References 104
6: Marx, Alienation and the Denial of Dignity of Work 109
Marx and Alienation 110
Marx’s Categories of Alienation 112
Alienation from Product 112
Alienation and the Process of Production 113
Alienation, Dignity and the Division of Labour 114
Alienation and Species-Being 115
Alienated from Others Undignified Relationships
Alienation, Dignity Denial and Private Property 119
Strength of Marx’s View of Alienation 119
Using Marx’s Theory of Alienation to Research Dignity at Work 120
Characteristics of the ICT Industry 121
ICT Professionals and the Work Process 122
Control of the Work Process 122
Allocation of Work 123
The Changing Nature of IT Contracts 123
Awarding Contracts: The Impact on Employment 124
Being Transferred to a New Employer 125
The “Bench” 126
The Impact of the Bench 127
ICT Professionals and the Denial of Dignity 127
Resisting Alienated and Undignified Labour 130
References 132
7: Dignity Restoration: The Indirect Goal of Social Enterprises’ Activity 135
Introduction 135
Social Enterprises: Tools in the Hands of Social Entrepreneurs to Catalyse Positive Social Change 136
The Southeast Credit Union: The Social Enterprise Reviving Human Dignity 141
The Southeast Credit Union (SCU) 141
First Principle: Offering Financial Help 142
Second Principle: Teaching Money Management 146
Third Principle: Giving Experience and Building Confidence 149
Discussion: Dignity Restoration Behind the Actions of Social Enterprises 151
References 155
8: ‘Dignity and Leadership: Implications of Leaders’ Language and Their Assumptions of Human Nature 159
Introduction 159
Dignity and Leadership: An Under-Explored Link 160
Dignity and Leadership 161
Leaders’ Respect Dignity through Culture and Language 166
Studies of Leaders’ Language in the Workplace 169
Conclusion 173
Chapter Summary 174
References 175
9: From Human Resource Management to Human Dignity Development: A Dignity Perspective on HRM and the Role of Workplace Democracy 182
Introduction 182
Human Dignity in the Workplace 184
Underpinnings of Human Dignity 185
Implications of Human Dignity for Organizations and (Strategic) HRM 186
Democracy in the Workplace 188
Foundation of Workplace Democracy 189
Workplace Democracies and Human Dignity 189
Human Dignity, Workplace Democracy and the Employee Life Cycle 191
Branding and Resourcing 192
Performance and Reward Management 194
Talent Management, Learning and Development 196
Employment Relations 197
Exit Management 198
Conclusion 200
References 201
10: Office Design and Dignity at Work in the Knowledge Economy 205
Offices and Work Spaces in the Knowledge Economy 207
Features of the Physical Work Environment and Their Effects on Employees 214
Physical Space, Power, and Dignity: The Road Ahead 220
Chapter Summary 223
References 224
11: Dignity by Design: A Shift from Formalistic to Humanistic Design in Organizations 229
Introduction 230
Formalistic Design 232
From Formalistic to Evidence Based Design in the Healthcare Sector 233
Setting the Stage for Humanistic Design in the Healthcare Industry 235
Transition to Humanistic Design 239
Moving Towards Humanistic Design in Other Sectors 241
Conclusion 245
References 246
12: Concluding Observations 253
Index 256