Nancy Harding (2013): On Being At Work. The Social Construction of the Employee. Routledge: New York and London

Abstract

Nancy Harding (2013): On Being At Work. Social Construction of the Employee. Routledge: New York and LondonHarding's aim is to develop a 21st century theory of what it means to be at work. Using her own words this book is located within a sociocultural philosophical framework that incorporates Judith Butler's work and that of several lay philosophers, develops a theory of the damage caused to individuals because of the power of organizations to impose their desires upon staff, thus ignoring, suppressing, stunting, frustrating or killing the desires of people, who ... go to work to do more than labour (p. 144).With this review I would like to bring you closer to Harding's thoughts outlined in her recent book. I shed some light on the steps taken to develop the theory, its various shades, and the works of Judith Butler and other theorists that Harding uses in order to make this knowledge productive for organization and management studies. Rather than providing a summarized overview of the main arguments of the book, in this review I turn to each of the seven chapters in order to grasp at least some of the richness and complexity of the book.In Chapter 1 Harding builds on Butler's (2009) Frames of War and on an account of Julie, Harding's sister, who during the time of the interview worked as a caretaker. Harding argues that we need to distinguish between labor and work. Labor for her involves the tasks that are done as a means of sustaining life or [and this is the focus of her book, IW] fulfilling the conditions of one's job (p. 21). In contrast, work encompasses workplace possibilities, over and above labouring, of constituting selves recognised as (p. 21). Harding claims that in the 21st century, engaging in paid work constitutes the primary means through which people aspire to develop their self, hence becoming recognized as a human being. However, the organizations, in which people do the paid work, reduce workers to their organizational role and thereby restrict the possibilities of who one might be. While engaging in paid work, people are required to become what Harding calls zombie machines, not full human beings but a labor force, which is supposed to exclusively think, feel, and act for the purpose of the organization.In Chapter 2, Harding introduces the reader to a manager and business owner, called Frank. She weaves Frank's account through Butler's (1997) The Psychic Life of Power in order to come closer to what she calls a theory of managerial subjectivities. In so doing, she introduces the manager into the four acts of the Hegelian master/slave dialectic, thus rereading Butler rereading Hegel. From Harding's point of view the organization takes the position of the master, who the manager subjects to (i.e., keeping the business running and the organization alive). Through this subordination, the manager becomes recognized as a manager, hence gaining the identity of a manager. workers are positioned as the slaves, who need to be effectively managed (hence, reduced to their organizational role) as to contribute to the purpose of the organization. From this rereading, Harding develops four propositions of what it means to be a manager, which are afterward summarized in a theory of managerial subjectivity. This subjectivity, she suggests, is grounded in the bad conscience of the manager that if she/he fails, the business will fail, which would mean that the manager was unable to fulfill the cultural norm of the successful manager. Furthermore, mangers are seduced to the erotic of power. To be in control and able to manage the business and other people has an erotic appeal. However, this appeal-the desire to have power-in turn leads managers to subjugate to the norm of being a successful manager. To work, and work, and work is one of the cultural norms mangers have to (and desire to) conform to in order to become recognized as successful managers and therefore to sustain the identity of a manager. …