WORK, IDENTITY AND THE SELF
Paper presented at the 8th International Conference in Critical Management Studies
10 Jul 2013-12 Jul 2013
The University of Manchester. Manchester, United KingdomThere is an
abundance of research focusing on the employment relationship between
employees and their work organizations. One of the dominant frameworks
for examining employee-organization relationship (EOR) has been the
psychological contract (Blau, 1964). Globalization, rapid technological
development, frequent organizational changes (e.g. downsizing,
restructuring, out-sourcing) have eroded the sense of job security and
thus engendered a renewed interest in the examination of the concept of
psychological contract as a framework for the exploration of the tacit
understandings of employees’ exchange relationship within the context of
changing employment relations (Sennett, 2000; Kallenberg, 2009; ILO,
2012). The decreasing level of job security and trust in management and
corporate values have resulted in the collapse of the idea of the
so-called ‘old psychological contract’ (i.e. increased commitment in
return to job security); instead, a ‘new psychological contract’
discourse has emerged (Conway and Briner, 2005). However, the current
financial crisis institutes a new ‘version’ of the employment
relationship which is inclusive of the notion of precariousness, a
prevalent feature of the changing work conditions and societal attitudes
(Standing, 2011).
See more here: The (Un)employment Relationship Uncovered. CMS