Professionals, authority, and group life: a case study of a law firm

Article Abstract:

An analysis of a case study of a law firm reveals that professionals may strive to establish an egalitarian work group environment as a social defense against the problems raised by rivalry and authority in the workplace. Professionals, trained to act as individuals, often resist group action because they worry it will constrain their behavior. Professionals also worry that repressed rivalry will undermine relationship. However, competition increasingly requires the pooling of professionals' skills to create an enhanced capital pool, and as result, new values, norms, and processes need to be developed which stress the creation of an 'individual professional' as part of a work team. The new work teams will differ from traditional professional teams, however, because they will not be based on current norms.

Work groups, Teamwork (Workplace), Law firms, Professional workers, Professional employees, Professional socialization

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The mythological structure of organizations and its impact

Article Abstract:

The widely copied organizational model of Alfred Sloan created a closed system that fostered a mythology of the invincibility of US industry. Clinging to a mythology, however, creates corporate dysfunctions and an unrealistic sense of teamwork, security, and competitive advantage that limits a corporation's capacity for cultural renewal. Several case studies of organizations which operated using corporate mythology are presented to indicate how the persistence of corporate mythologies can displace rational analysis and foster long-term decline. Typically, management in such firms find it difficult to break out of the thinking encouraged by the mythology. Outside leadership is often required to regain competitive standing.

Management, Corporate culture, Sloan, Alfred

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Change will prove beneficial only if tomorrow's leadership can ameliorate the tensions

Article Abstract:

This special issue focuses on employment patterns, human resource management, and the role of technology in future work places. Futurists suggest that industry will relocate, causing shifts in population, new technologies will create a need for better-educated employees, and employee rewards will come in the form of higher incomes, increased leisure and a longer life. These changes will see the shift from antagonistic industrial relations found in the past to a more participatory form of employee management.

Forecasts and trends, Labor relations, Industrial policy, Technology and civilization, Technology and society, Work, Work (Labor)

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