Working Together

How Workplace Bonds Strengthen a Diverse Democracy

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Labour & Employment, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Labour & Industrial Relations, Business & Finance, Human Resources & Personnel Management
Cover of the book Working Together by Cynthia Estlund, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Cynthia Estlund ISBN: 9780190289188
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: October 2, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Cynthia Estlund
ISBN: 9780190289188
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: October 2, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The typical workplace is a hotbed of human relationships--of friendships, conflicts, feuds, alliances, partnerships, coexistence and cooperation. Here, problems are solved, progress is made, and rifts are mended because they need to be - because the work has to get done. And it has to get done among increasingly diverse groups of co-workers. At a time when communal ties in American society are increasingly frayed and segregation persists, the workplace is more than ever the site where Americans from different ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds meet and forge serviceable and sometimes lasting bonds. What do these highly structured workplace relationships mean for a society still divided by gender and race? Structure and rules are, in fact, central to the answer. Workplace interactions are constrained by economic power and necessity, and often by legal regulation. They exist far from the civic ideal of free and equal citizens voluntarily associating for shared ends. Yet it is the very involuntariness of these interactions that helps to make the often-troubled project of racial integration comparatively successful at work. People can be forced to get along-not without friction, but often with surprising success. This highly original exploration of the paradoxical nature--and the paramount importance--of workplace bonds concludes with concrete suggestions for how law can further realize the democratic possibilities of working together. In linking workplace integration and connectedness beyond work, Estlund suggests a novel and promising strategy for addressing the most profound challenges facing American society.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The typical workplace is a hotbed of human relationships--of friendships, conflicts, feuds, alliances, partnerships, coexistence and cooperation. Here, problems are solved, progress is made, and rifts are mended because they need to be - because the work has to get done. And it has to get done among increasingly diverse groups of co-workers. At a time when communal ties in American society are increasingly frayed and segregation persists, the workplace is more than ever the site where Americans from different ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds meet and forge serviceable and sometimes lasting bonds. What do these highly structured workplace relationships mean for a society still divided by gender and race? Structure and rules are, in fact, central to the answer. Workplace interactions are constrained by economic power and necessity, and often by legal regulation. They exist far from the civic ideal of free and equal citizens voluntarily associating for shared ends. Yet it is the very involuntariness of these interactions that helps to make the often-troubled project of racial integration comparatively successful at work. People can be forced to get along-not without friction, but often with surprising success. This highly original exploration of the paradoxical nature--and the paramount importance--of workplace bonds concludes with concrete suggestions for how law can further realize the democratic possibilities of working together. In linking workplace integration and connectedness beyond work, Estlund suggests a novel and promising strategy for addressing the most profound challenges facing American society.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Tocqueville: A Very Short Introduction by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Ethan Frome by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Falling Short by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945 by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The James Bond Songs by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The Hero's Farewell by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The Catholic Church and Argentina's Dirty War by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Unequal Justice by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Debussy's Legacy and the Construction of Reputation by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book Aphasia and Its Therapy by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book How It Feels to Be Free by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The Cat - With Audio Starter Level Oxford Bookworms Library by Cynthia Estlund
Cover of the book The World's Energy Supply: What Everyone Needs to Know by Cynthia Estlund
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy