New Work Ethics

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the Richard Sennet sociological study entitled "The Corrosion of Character" about changing work ethics. The paper explains that Sennet is a sociologist, who offers observations of late 20th century capitalism, as garnered from his interviews with a consultant, the owner of his local bar, a baker and a group of laid-off IBM executives to build on his observations of the system under which they worked. The paper parallels the book in its discussion of the sense of self of the modern employee, which is impacted by short-term contracts, downsizing and other mechanisms of "flexibility."

From the Paper:

"The new capitalism's work ethics lays emphasis on short-term goals, incessant risk, and teamwork as against the hierarchies of previous years. The pyramid structure has been given up in favor of decentralized structures. Downsizing is the watchword. The regime will lose legitimacy because the commitment is not there; commitment has to be a two way street. If there is not the least amount of commitment from the corporate side, and no long term goals to nurture commitment, obviously there will be no acceptance of the regime in the long term."

More papers on New Work Ethics:

• Comparison Essay # 25269 : "The Buddhist Economist's View toward "The New Work Ethic"
• Analytical Essay # 131169 : "Diversity and Ethics in the Workplace"
• Essay # 90114 : "Ethics"

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