Introduction

Abstract

This article introduces a Special Section on work organization and health dedicated to the late Swedish social scientist, Bertil Gardell. An overview of his research philosophy is presented within the context of a discussion of psychosocial work environment research. Two different approaches exist in this field, one oriented toward the individual worker, the other to the structural aspects of the work environment. The latter orientation is characteristic of the Scandinavian research tradition and is an expression of a broader commitment to social equality. A fundamental structural determinant of working life, individual and collective control over the work process, was central to Gardell's research and practical reform activities.