The Humanized Workplace: A Psychological, Historical, and Practical Perspective

About the Book

This is a holistic presentation of methods and problems involved in humanizing work. The comments will be of interest to practitioners dealing with work, and should give realism to debates concerned with alienation in the workplace. The theory is described, and the American system is compared with those in place in Western Europe and Japan. This work should be of interest to scholars, students and practitioners in industrial relations, labor problems, organizational behavior, and human resources in general.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Industrial Justice and Social Change
American Unionism through Foreign Eyes
The Difference between Arbitrators and Judges
The Myth of Management
The State of the American Worker
Styles of Participative Management: A Comparison of Japan and Western Europe
The Practice of Industrial Justice
Practical Advice on Industrial Justice
The Use and Misuse of Computers in Personnel Decisions
Science and the Problems of Systems Analysis
The Application: The Humanized Workplace
Industrial Justice
Formal Social Systems Drive out Informal Ones
A Fresh Start
Consultation
What Standards?
The Problems of Meritocracy
What Is a Good Manager?
Conclusion
The Psychological Context
The Psychology of Loyalty and of Work
The Moral Basis of Authoritarianism
Alienation and Addiction
Competition
Pressuring Institutions and Flat Personalities
The Historical Context
Minimum Wage as a Cultural Construct
Status and Contract in the Employment Relation
Industrial Justice and Social Change
The Present
The Right to Be Average
Contours of Conformity
"Workers' Participation in the Federal Republic of Germany in an International Perspective" by Johannes Schregle
Bibliography
Index

About the Author :
JEROME BRAUN, an interdisciplinary scholar, is interested in sociology, social psychiatry, culture and personality, and alienation in modern society. He has studied these phenomena using the approaches of law and psychiatry, and has presented his findings in various forums including universities, conferences, books, and journal articles. He is the editor of Psychological Aspects of Modernity (Praeger Publishers, 1993).

Review :
?Braun offers a readable, critical look at America's industrial relations.?-Choice ?This powerful book should be read by anyone who believes in the myths about American management, industrial justice, and the "science of productivity." From beginning to end, this book challenges American perceptions about how its workplaces are managed....Obviously, there are fundamental problems in the management of American business and this wonderfully interesting book addresses these problems directly. This is one of the best books on American business management that I have read in years. It raises pertinent questions typically ignored and speaks loudly about the causes of worker unrest that have led to the current political climate. It places the responsibility for America's decline in business efficiency where it belongs, with America's business management. I highly recommend this book.?-Employee Assistance Quarterly "Braun offers a readable, critical look at America's industrial relations."-Choice "This powerful book should be read by anyone who believes in the myths about American management, industrial justice, and the "science of productivity." From beginning to end, this book challenges American perceptions about how its workplaces are managed....Obviously, there are fundamental problems in the management of American business and this wonderfully interesting book addresses these problems directly. This is one of the best books on American business management that I have read in years. It raises pertinent questions typically ignored and speaks loudly about the causes of worker unrest that have led to the current political climate. It places the responsibility for America's decline in business efficiency where it belongs, with America's business management. I highly recommend this book."-Employee Assistance Quarterly