getAbstract rating
Overall  |
|
(9)Importance |
|
Innovation |
|
Style |
|
| Level of Expertise |
|
(8)
(10)
(4)In this summary you will learn
- What happened to workers when bureaucratic institutions weakened
- How employees can thrive in the fragmented, uncertain social context of modern capitalism
- Why politics now resembles a range of consumable products
- What the results of management’s demand for adaptability and change are
- Why skill is losing its value
Why you should read The Culture of the New Capitalism
This provocative series of Yale lectures by noted sociologist Richard Sennett examines the ways that contemporary capitalism is reshaping workers’ career and political choices. Contemporary capitalist organizations – with their short-lived teams, and emphasis on change and flexibility – demand a new type of employee. They call for someone who can work with temporary connections, unattached to the past, and focus on talent and potential, not skill, achievement or experience – a strange, arguably perverse kind of individual. Proponents of this shifting, unstructured kind of capitalism say it is liberating. However, Sennett contends that, in fact, it makes employees more insecure and less free, and devalues their knowledge and usefulness. He accurately, concisely captures the essential features of the new capitalist enterprise. Anyone who has followed management literature over the past two decades knows about its emphasis on continuous learning, adaptability and change, and might find Sennett’s analysis of its unintended consequences quite revealing. getAbstract thinks Sennett is at his best when he raises a question that management writers often ignore: how does the demand for these traits affect individuals and society?
About the author
Richard Sennett teaches sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the London School of Economics. His recent publications include The Corrosion of Character and Respect in a World of Inequality.
Your opinion
Be the first to write a review for this title: Click Share your opinion above. Sign in to share your opinion
If you wish to purchase 20 or more copies of this title (not the summary, but the actual book), please contact us at info@getAbstract.com. Make sure you include the title of the book and your phone number.
getAbstract makes it easy for you to access the summary of The Culture of the New Capitalism any time or any place. Once registered, you can choose from a variety of download formats: PDF for your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, Kindle, PDA or other handheld devices. You can even obtain the audio version of many of our summaries.
Subscribe today to gain access to this summary as well as many other compelling titles!