Scenes from Corporate

Submitted by WorkCreatively on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 07:09

Title	Scenes from Corporate
Publication Type	Book
Pub Year	1984
Authors	Shorris, E.
Publisher	Penguin (Non-Classics)
Keywords	alienation, career, change, fear, happiness, performance, punishment, rationality, secrecy
Notes	fear, alienation"The men and women who work in middle management and technical jobs in corporations suffer from fear, but not from cowardice. Their ability to endure fear in the struggle to achieve happiness as it has been defined for them proves that they are not cowards. They lack options. They may move from corporation to corporation, but the systems in which they live do not change with the change of employment. As they grow older, even that illusory option disappears. Then they must choose between human alienation and their accustomed standard of living." (p. 284) secrecy"As Arendt said, 'Real power begins where secrecy begins.' The leaders of corporations use intermural and intramural secrecy to gain power for their organizations and for themselves." (p. 289) punishment"Punishments in business rarely have to do with performance. In the now famous Ford/Iacocca story, Ford is reputed to have told Iacocca that he just didn't like him. Ford suffers the bluntness of befuddled kings, but his comment describes the situation throughout business and government: careers rise and fall on such irrational judgements." (p. 298)

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