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Lecture notes of 5 pages for the course Behaviour in organisations at QUB (Chapter 3)
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Studying work and organisationsKarl Marx
Marx believed that industrialisation was necessary for human potential to triumph
Humans were distinct from other animals – we can create objects from our own imagination
(objectification)
Labour is a means by which humans can realize their true human power and potential. As we
transform raw materials, we transform ourselves and we also transform society
In Marx’s opinion, capitalism meant that workers lost their specialized skills and had to
perform tasks that are disconnected and isolated from one another, supervised by a
hierarchy of managers and supervisors
Machinery used by the capitalist cheapened the labour, deskilled the workers and made it
easier to recruit, control and discipline workers
This led to alienation of the workers and conflict
Marx said that work under capitalism meant that the worker could not use any of his
potential or creativity and therefore because the work they did was not their own, it no
longer transformed them
Alienation:
Workers are separated from the product of their labour
They are alienated from productive activity (the machines have taken over) – work offers no
satisfaction. People only work because they have to
They are alienated from the human species. Marx believed that people could shape
themselves and be transformed through work, but capitalism meant people only worked for
physical survival and became detached from their own true self and creativity
They are alienated from fellow human beings and the community, e.g.: workers and
managers are alienated from each other
In summary, according to Marx, capitalism destroyed the pleasure associated with labour, the
distinctively human capacity to shape and reshape the world (pg 69).
Marx believed that deskilling, intensification of work, constant pressure to lower wages
(capitalism) encouraged the development of class conflict
He believed workers were being exploited which led to the formation of trade unions, where
groups of workers would conflict with managers and employers (capitalists)
Marx believed that the working class were good and capitalists (managers…) were
controlling and bad, causing conflict between the two groups. He never saw managers as
people who worked to gain workers cooperation
Emile Durkheim
, Concerned with the issue of social solidarity (having shared beliefs and values among
members of a social group) and unity
His main question was – if pre-industrial societies are held together by shared
understandings, ideas, norms and values, what holds a complex industrial society together?
In pre-industrial societies, he believed that social cohesion could be described as mechanical
solidarity where there was a minimal division of labour and people felt united by shared
values and common social bonds
In industrial societies, he uses the term organic solidarity to describe social cohesion. People
perform very specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual dependence
With organic solidarity, individuals are linked to each other rather than to society as a whole
He believed that division of labour could encourage social solidarity but that abnormal
divisions of labour (by class instead of ability) would lead to instability and social
fragmentation
He believed in the existence of natural inequalities – men are more intelligent than women
Max Weber
He argued that a new attitude to work and pursuit of wealth was linked to rise of Calvinism –
work became a means of demonstrating godliness. Calvinists believed that they were
predestined (know whether they would go to heaven or hell) and this could not be altered.
So they searched for ways to see if they were one of God’s chosen – wealth was a sign of
God’s blessing so this led to people doing hard work
He believed that rationalization was central to rise of capitalism and new organizational
forms. A rational society is one built around logic and efficiency rather than morality or
tradition. Rationalization involves scientific calculation rather than traditional values.
Rationalization is the replacement of traditional action by rational action. E.g. rather than
doing things for emotional reasons people do things because they calculate the benefits and
costs. In business, technical or managerial rules are obeyed because they result in efficiency
and profits
The bureaucratic management theory, introduced by Max Weber stated that to manage an
organization efficiently, it is essential to have a clear line of authority along with proper
rules, procedures and regulations for controlling each business operation.
Weber argued that owning property, such as factories or equipment, is only part of what
determines a person's social class. Social class for Weber included power and prestige, in
addition to property or wealth.
Contemporary theories of organizations
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