ABSTRACT

Using Marxist and systems theory as guides, this book offers an entry point to the current debate on the role of economy in modern society, the change in work organizations and the effect of the economy on the individual. It explores the concepts of ‘work society’, ‘industrial society’ and ‘capitalist society’ to explain the conditions of society as a whole, and not just the conditions of businesses, making particular use of the category of ‘work’. The first systematic theoretical comparison of Marxism and systems theory, it provides a brief overview of the central debates concerning work society and the controversies surrounding organizations in capitalism. As such, it will appeal to social scientists and social theorists with interests in the sociology of work, industry and organizations.

chapter 1|8 pages

Work—theoretical perspectives

chapter 2|26 pages

Primacy of economy vs. functional differentiation

The debate on the form of modern society

chapter 3|35 pages

Business vs. organization

Subsumising the company to the logic of profit maximization or stressing the self-logic of the organization

chapter 4|26 pages

Worker consciousness vs. worker essence as a role

Class as a binding link between society and the individual