Current Developments in Management, Society, and New Forms of Work

Current Developments in Management, Society, and New Forms of Work

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University of Essex

Essex Business School.<Insert Date>

Introduction.This essay seeks to analyze the role of information technology in the transformation of the contemporary work place and the influences this has had on labour, organizational structures, value production and general workplace culture. The discussion will be guided by the text ‘network culture: Politics for the information age by Terranova, T. (2004). A broad view approach will be applied to try and weigh the authors arguments vis a vis other views by writers and personal experiences.

The author draws on the ‘real subsumption notion of Marxism. This argument claims that the capitalistic regime will eventually be hard pressed to absorb all the labour it produces. The author claims that the phenomena in the digital/new economy whereby internet users become active participants in the development of content and/or software (Terranova, 2004). The argument here is that many difficulties arise from this relationship. While the difficulties may present a problem, under close inspection, this argument collapses in view of Adam Smith’s contention that man is driven by his own desire to better his/her lot and society becomes better as a result (Raphael, 1985). It can thus be argued that the content developing users of the internet are only striving to make the sites better off for them and in the process benefitting all of us. This is a significant improvement in innovativeness that has been brought about by the interconnectivity in the new business environments.

The traditional organization structures are changing. With the emergence of new thoughts and bold maverick entrepreneurs emerging to experiment with new structures and often emerging successful, more and more companies are bond to pick up the trend. Andrew Ross’s study of the ‘silicon valley’ analyzed companies like Razorfish which had open managements and was able to induce over enthusiasm in its workers and increase production (Ross, 1988). These advances redefine management and employer employee relations and have succeeded in making workers feel ownership more than traditional setups. This is a direct rebuttal by the innovative capitalists to its opponents of the sixties who argued that labour in capitalist states was repetitive and dull. With the new age of information technology, one does not even require to have met their boss; a company can outsource certain functions across continents without anybody having left the office. This has resulted in more flexible and stimulating working experiences and the productivity of all parties becomes markedly enhanced.

Influences of the management theory reform movement have informed most of the new economy’s decisions. The emphasis on the value of giving workers more liberty in driving the production process through new management structure has paid off. Decentralized institutions and ones which delegate a lot has proved to be more productive in the long run. Arguably, this draws from the ‘biological turn’ discovery. The argument that it is possible to contain and direct human effort and the creativity of the masses has considerable promise, elective and moderate application of pressure is the means to achieving this. It is highly possible to harness production from workforces without necessarily having the congregated at a particular territory. As such even the office as we know it today is bound to change. With this in mind, it can also be said that the Bionomic view of the economy as a chaotic but self organizing ecology and organizations intelligent and social beings and that the ultimate boost to the bottom line will come from organizational learning. Looking at the internet as an example of this, a lot of truth in the view is evidenced. The internet expands and mutates without the control of any planners, managers, and in essence not a single person in charge. This can be a reference for any company that favors bottom up structures. It is leaderless and more acentered (Terranova, 2004). Companies can thus take the cue and decentralize as much as possible and let their workers lead the process of innovation and production. Technological firms that mostly rely on staff like content developers and minds of physicists who more often than not are the only individuals who clearly visualize what they have in mind have reaped a lot from this approach.

In the emergent interconnectivity in the new economy, opportunity for growth in more interconnected world abounds. Companies that choose to adopt the new economies management models will undoubtedly flourish. Tied to the hip to this new management policy is a need for increased openness with information. The individual in this world has inbred a desire of knowledge. They seek it at all costs and channels for gaining this knowledge are now more available than ever. Modeling company growth on secrecy and public manipulation through misinformation is bound to snow ball on the companies. The socialization of individuals implies that they have been fed enough truths and hold too many opinions and thus have shifted communication from the traditional angle of representation to a tool of strategy and tactics. Thus, information now is not just a representative of the firm but a tool that will shift, touch and command.

The media culture is another aspect that has changed the way firms are to communicate with the masses. The main theme here is that the image firms portray should not just be sociological (Muirhead, 2004). The masses want to be fascinated by what they perceive of the firm, the image will not be looked at in terms of meaning but consumed, i.e. the images go through a process of absorption and are then relayed. This has led to a culture of ‘Perception management’. Public relations departments are now more relevant and firms must seek to have a satisfactory understanding of the conditions in their specific localities and markets (Terranova, 2004).

Clearly, the management in the current world order has their work well cut out for them. They have to not only keep abreast with movement in the markets but also have a clear and concise organization plan that seeks to exploit the human resources at their disposal to the fullest. This means labour relations have to be managed not through the traditional unionism but by assuaging and massaging the perceptions of the staff. The most successful manger is the one who will ensure that his employees do not regard what they do as work but feel near complete ownership of the company processes.

References

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LEWIS, M. (2009). Panic: the story of modern financial insanity. New York, W.W. Norton & Co.

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MUIRHEAD, R. (2004). Just work. Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press.

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ROSS, A. (1988). Universal abandon?: the politics of postmodernism. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.

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RAPHAEL, D. D. (1985). Adam Smith. Oxford [Oxfordshire], Oxford University Press.

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TERRANOVA, T. (2004). Network culture politics for the information age. London, Pluto Press. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10479632.

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TURNER, F. J. (2005). Social work diagnosis in contemporary practice. New York, N.Y., Oxford University Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=138218.

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