Flexibility in the economy can be defined in numerous ways. According to Sennett to be flexible is to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and not to be broken by them. This idea of being able to adapt to changing circumstances can be applied quite easily to the economy and how we as a society or individual have to be accommodating and willing to change and roll with the punches. A few elements pertaining to flexibility are drifting, taking risks and possible failure. In order to be flexible you have to acknowledge that the three elements mentioned are possibilities upon which one might stumble. After all to get anywhere in this world, you have to be ready and willing to adapt to any circumstance in order to get by.
In order to get by in the world today and especially the work place you have to be flexible. You have to be able to drift or move from one city or job to another with ease. This drifting and moving about is becoming more common in today’s work place. Constant downsizing and the hunger for change causes people to drift (Sennett 22). The hunger for change, is described by Sennett as the desire for rapid returns or impatient capital (Sennett 22). The rapid return is ones expectation or wanting of more money as quick as possible. This urge for rapid returns causes people to seek out more profitable places of employment. This search for rapid returns requires people to be flexible in such a way as to be able to pack up and move and have no problems doing it. In a pure business sense, the flexibility in drifting is very ideal to the management.
The management of today prefers a sort of flexibility along the lines of drifting. They want a networklike arrangement light on its feet (Sennett 23). This form in which businesses are taking make them readily decomposable and redefinable than the fixed hierarchies of old. In being able to be redefined a company is able to roll with the punches and make itself into whatever is necessary to accommodate the drifting workers and the ever-changing work place. It is in essence the perfect form in which a company can readily adapt to their surroundings (Sennett 23). This ability to adapt makes businesses able to receive the drifting workers such as Enrico( a character in the book) which shows how not only are the drifters being flexible but so are the business which makes then operate at a higher level of competence.
This may be due to his lineage, which is composed of generations and generations of factory workers, so it is evident that the long line of assembly workers has created a paradigm that is difficult to shift. It is even expected for Hamper to follow the same path and fulfill his familial pattern. Though the fact that the assembly line is etched so deeply in Hamper’s roots is a primary reason for Hamper’s desire to diverge from his prearranged path, it is also the fact that the shoprat lifestyle is a symbol of “obedience to the Corporation, ” or submission to the higher authorities (8). The compliance of the people in the assembly line towards the executives of the vehicle manufacturing company represent the compliance of the general public to the paradigms surrounding them. Hamper, in contrast to his predecessors, seeks a career path filled with thrill and adventure, one that greatly juxtaposes the repetition and dullness that the assembly line offers. Though Hamper does not follow his intended path and is led to the front steps of the GM plant, he does not yet admit defeat to the uniform mechanical system, since he continues to have the same negative sentiments and awareness of the workers’ submission to the
The book mainly talks about the protagonist, Alex, his superiors and his team along with his management Guru, Jonah, who changes the whole perspective of Alex’s life with his simple messages, opens Alex to brand new world of bottlenecks, variability, etc. and their effects in the working of any manufacturing firm.
Faced with changing markets and higher competition, more and more firms are struggling to reestablish their dominance, keep market share, and in some cases, ensure their survival. Many have come to understand that the key to competitive success is to transform the way they function. They are reducing reliance on managerial authority, formal rules and procedures, and narrow divisions of work. In effect, companies are moving from the hierarchical and bureaucratic model of organization that has defined corporations since World War II to what can be called the task-driven organization where what has to be done governs who works with whom and who leads. But while senior managers understand the necessity of change to cope with new competitive realities, they often misunderstand what it takes to bring it about.
Flexibility in the workplace should be a benefit for the employee as well as the employer. According to Christensen, “Having flexibility in the workplace will ultimately lead to better morale, increase retention, and become an effective tool for recruitment.” (Christensen, 2005) Flexibility is an important factor toward overall workplace success. As mentioned by Christensen not only is this a great tool for companies to use for recruitment and retention, but improving diversity in the organization. Flexibility means taking a varied approach to the old way things are done. Some examples, changing work hours, location of where the work is done and restructure of the job. The traditional Monday thru Friday, nine to five work design is no longer the norm. Having a flexible work structure allows an organization to modify schedules for employees which in turn gives the employee opportunity to balance work and life. By doing this...
Getting the right people on the bus (and in the right seat), getting the right people off the bus, and then deciding where to drive it are important concepts that the author has frequently referenced. These concepts are essential to a company if they want to become great. A great quote from the book is "People are not your best asset, the right people are."
Often, this requires an individual to be flexible in order to navigate and adapt to the frequently changing circumstances of life.
When management and employees are flexible, they are quicker to respond to the external business changes than someone that is static. The world will always have new demands for specific products and Gore can deliver with their fast paced change system.
Miller, D and Friesen, P (1980) ‘Momentum and revolution in organisational adaptation’, Academy of Management Journal, 23/4: 591-614
Job mobility no longer carries the stigma once associated with job change, although it can be emotionally stressful. Corporate upheavals of the early 1990s and low unemployment rates during the last part of the decade have caused changes in job search and hiring practices. Companies, especially those in technology fields that are in dire need of qualified, skilled, and experienced employees, are driven to recruit workers away from their current employers. Workers, who see job mobility as a way to find work that is appealing, challenging, and offers growth potential, are viewing career change as a way to progress through the uncertainties of the workplace.
The transformation of a company requires hundreds, sometimes thousands of employees to adopt a new view of its future, a future they must regard as essential. Change management involves managing the process of achieving this future state. Change can be viewed from two vantage points, that of the people making the changes and that of the people experiencing the changes. In the top-down, or strategic viewpoint associated with management, the focus is on technical issues such as the investment required, the processes for implementing the change, how soon the change can be realized, and the outcome. In the bottom-up viewpoint of the employee, the focus is on what the change means to the ...
This means individual emotional experiences from long term aspect in which character precise by commitment or loyalty through long term goals. (Hughes,2005:606) Furthermore, Sennett, (46:1998) point out the flexibility in the new capitalism, express flexibility as “tree’s capacity both yield and to recover”. This suggests the new conditions of working is breaking and the capacity is to adapt with changing conditions without losing essential character. Regarding with the new capitalism, Sennett emphasis that work is turning from something that was once considered to be constant and secure. Consequently, Svensson (2011:127) argues that flexibility as something very diverse now than it did once as workers moving from job to job as there is no long
...e loyal to the company and have less wish to change or quit their jobs or be redundant (R. Blundel, L. Dearden, C. Meghir and B. Sianesi, 1999).
To get closer in to the scenario, it is built around recurrent integrations as the feedstock of organizing, authority tied to task rather than positions, shifts in authority as task shift, continuing development of response repertoires, systems that are self-organizing rather than fixed, ongoing redefinition of job descriptions, mindful construction of responses in the moment rather than mindless application of past responses embedded in routines, and acceptance of change as a constant.
Robbins et al. (2011, p. 186), states ‘Change is an organizational reality and affects every part of a manager’s job’. Today’s wave of change primarily created by economic condition so change is now such a constant feature of organization life (Goodman, E. 2011, p.243). Organizations need to be changed at one point or another in structure, technology or people. These changes are defined as organizational change (Robbins et al. 2011, p.18). Organizational change is important because changes can increase effectiveness and efficiency, the innovation of products, services as well as dealing with changes in external and internal forces (Goodman, E. 2011, p.243). However, ‘the bottom line is that organizational change is difficult because management systems are design and people are rewarded for stability’ (Lawler, E.E. & Worley, C.G. 2006, p.11).
Businesses are all around; they compile the backbone of society’s configuration. Without the innovations and opportunities that are brought by these companies, lifestyle, as we know it, would be a shadow of how it is today. Due to the importance of all businesses to the human race, it is vital that they are nurtured. The majority of businesses are profit driven and in order to achieve this they must have a sound internal managerial structure. As a result, many theories and concepts have arisen throughout the years to aid the management side of an organisation. The by product of such theories and concepts are, fundamentally, to get the maximum output from employees whilst creating a sense of cohesion and serenity. This essay will be looking at such theories and their importance to companies drive for success.