The Means and End of Work

Abstract

This paper offers a teleological perspective on efforts to improve the quality of working life. Our view of working arrangements and what they "should" be is often confused by contradictory ideas of "what we are pursuing" when we seek to alter the present arrangements. At the enterprise level, there is disagreement among the workplace interest groups (e.g., supervisors, the top manager, local-wide union officers, rank-and-file workers, middle managers, etc.) on which are the means and what is the end of work. There is less disagreement at the societal level about what constitutes the "bottom line": in general, there is an implicit acceptance of the view that the end of work is economic. The schemata presented here recognizes the economic value of work, but only as one means toward a higher end: human well-being.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ALMOND, G. A. , & VERBA, S. The civic culture. Boston: Little & Co., 1965.

ARISTOTLE . Nichomachean Ethic, Book 1: Chapter 8. In R. McKeon (Ed.), Introduction to Aristotle. New York: The Modern Library, 1947.

BERNSTEIN, B. Workplace democratization. New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1980.

BLAUNER, R. Freedom and alienation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964.

BRAVERMAN, H. Labor and monopoly capital. New York and London: Monthly Review Press, 1974.

FROST, C. F. , WAKELY, J. H. , & RUH, R. A. The Scanlon plan for organizational development: equity, identity and participation. Ann Arbor: Michigan State University Press, 1974.

HERRICK, N. Q. , & MACCOBY, M. Humanizing Work: A Priority Goal for the 1970's. In L. E. Davis & A. B. Cherns (Eds.), The quality of working life (Vol. 1). New York: The Free Press, 1975.

HERRICK, N. Mutual benefit bargaining: An adaptive strategy in labor management relations, manuscript in preparation, n.d.

MASLOW, A. A theory of human motivation, Psychological Review, 1943, July, 370-396.

10.

MILL, J. S. Utilitarianism. In M. Cohen (Ed.), The philosophy of J. S. Mill. New York: The Modern Library, 1961.

11.

O'TOOLE, J. (Ed.), Work in America. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1973.

12.

SENNET, R. , & COBB, J. The hidden injuries of class. New York: Vintage Books, 1973.

13.

SUSMAN, G. I. Autonomy at work. New York: Praeger, 1979.

14.

TRIST, E. L. , Action research and adaptive planning. In S. W. Clark (Ed.), Experimenting with organizational life. London and New York: Plenum Press, 1976.