Cultural change in a kibbutz factory as an outcome of the privatization process: an Israeli case study

Abstract

The privatization process that engulfed most Israeli kibbutzim influenced cultural changes in the Newplast factory. Following organizational difficulties and economic losses, the kibbutz management appointed a factory manager from outside to oversee changes. This management change accelerated inevitable transformations: the collectivist culture, which had previously favoured kibbutz members, became far more capitalistic. Today, the factory operates commercially without obligations towards individuals. Nevertheless, the new management has a dual value system: supporting a capitalistic approach to the worker while fostering the factory’s ‘homelike’ image, preserving some classic collectivist values and expecting its workers to feel a familial obligation to Newplast.