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The Loose Coupling of Jobs

The Subcontracting of Everyone?

  • Chapter
Sourcebook of Labor Markets

Part of the book series: Plenum Studies in Work and Industry ((SSWI))

Abstract

There are many changes under way in organizations and employment that pro-foundly affect the nature of society. Organizations are said to be increasingly knowledge-based (i.e., populated by highly educated and technically trained workers; Drucker, 1988), boundaryless (i.e., open and permeable; Hirschhorn and Gilmore 1992), interconnected (via partnerships, alliances, and networks; Hamel, Doz, and Prahalad 1989; Johnston and Lawrence 1988; Kanter 1989), engaged in customized production (the flexible organization; Piore and Sabel 1984), both global and diverse (Ohmae 1995; Reich 1991), and subject to continuous discontinuous change (Limerick and Cunnington 1993). In other words, organizational hierarchy is being dismantled and decoupled—“de-differentiated” according to Clegg (1990; see also Heckscher 1995). Furthermore, global enterprise webs spill out of formal organizational boundaries (Granovetter 1985; Miles and Snow 1986; Orton and Weick 1990; Reich 1991), creating new issues regarding accountability and evaluation. Limerick and Cunnington (1993); call this the “new” organization.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Organization Management, Rutgers University, 07102, Newark, New Jersey, USA

    Nancy DiTomaso

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  1. Nancy DiTomaso
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ivar Berg

  2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Arne L. Kalleberg

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DiTomaso, N. (2001). The Loose Coupling of Jobs. In: Berg, I., Kalleberg, A.L. (eds) Sourcebook of Labor Markets. Plenum Studies in Work and Industry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1225-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1225-7_10

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