Arbeitspapier

Social Evolution, Corporate Culture, and Exploitation

It has been claimed that the market fosters selfishness and thereby undermines the moral basis of society. This thesis has been developed with an emphasis on market exchange. Everyday life is, however, predominantly shaped by interactions in the workplace rather than by shopping behaviour. This essay places emphasis on firm organisation, rather than market interaction, in moulding cultural traits. The argument starts with the observation that workers may perceive the employment relationship in two different ways, with different behavioural consequences. The first is the conventional incentive view. The other is the social exchange view. Implementing the social exchange perspective may be profitable for firms which organize complex tasks. This requires an appropriate corporate culture, governed by reciprocity, fairness and commitment. Such a culture can be viewed as a refined form of exploitation, however, as it involves creating an atmosphere of mutuality for profit. I shall argue against this thesis that the same attribution mechanisms which render corporate culture an effective management instrument shape the self-perception of management and engender true, rather than faked, social exchange. The market shapes firm organizations which foster mutualism rather than selfishness.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 651

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Relation of Economics to Social Values
Sociology of Economics
Current Heterodox Approaches: Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary
Firm Behavior: Theory
Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation; Networks
Firm Organization and Market Structure
Thema
theory of the firm
corporate culture
organizational citizenship
reciprocity
Wirtschaftssoziologie
Kapitalismus
Soziales Verhalten
Unternehmenskultur
Soziale Beziehungen
Kooperative Führung
Theorie

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Schlicht, Ekkehart
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
(wo)
Bonn
(wann)
2002

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
20.09.2024, 08:25 MESZ

Datenpartner

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Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Schlicht, Ekkehart
  • Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Entstanden

  • 2002

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