"Classical sociological theory has likttle relevance in understanding contemporary employment" - discuss
"Classical sociological theory has little relevance in understanding contemporary employment" - discuss.
Marx, Weber and Durkheim are three names that have had an enormous impact on our understanding of the social context of work. Karl Marx was the driving force behind Marxism - a political and sociological thesis which has influenced many policies and political parties throughout the last century. His writings on politics, the world of work and its social relevance have influenced the way employers treat their staff and run their companies, as well as how governments have legislated to give more socio-economic power to the workforce. In a similar vein, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim's writings question how companies work and how people respond to social situations. However, with the changed cultural and economic power structures of today (which have arisen partly due to these writers), it is debateable whether their ideas have such relevance today, although some modern sociologists try to apply classical theory to the contemporary world by building on their work.
Marx lived during a time of great change. The world was entering what many social scientists called the first wave of globalisation. Industrialisation meant that the workforce was becoming more affluent, educated and sophisticated, yet, at the same time, obsessed with work. Better transport links also meant that it was much easier to trade and for countries and peoples to interact more easily, learning each from each other.
Classical sociologists looked at their own period and noted that society was becoming separated from what they believed to be the "natural social order". For example, the new industrial and capitalist forms of social organisation separated society from its traditional forms of social order and Marx, in particular, believed that by following his communist theories, the traditional order could be reinstated, by reducing the adverse effects of the newer industrial and sociological forms. Classical sociological theory focused on the changes taking place in society at that time which impacted adversely on the working classes; changes such as increased urbanisation and the industrialisation which was altering society. The theory focused principally on social factors.
Marx was very clear on what constituted the "new social order" and distinguished it from the "natural order". By starting with a commodity, and building on the fact that he saw labour-power as a commodity, Marx looked at the social and economic forms of organisation of production which were not "natural", but which were at the root of the new sociological order. The basis of any capitalist society is to organise production methods in the most cost effective and profitable method possible regardless of the impact on the workforce. Although Marx was critical of this trend, he also ...
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Marx was very clear on what constituted the "new social order" and distinguished it from the "natural order". By starting with a commodity, and building on the fact that he saw labour-power as a commodity, Marx looked at the social and economic forms of organisation of production which were not "natural", but which were at the root of the new sociological order. The basis of any capitalist society is to organise production methods in the most cost effective and profitable method possible regardless of the impact on the workforce. Although Marx was critical of this trend, he also commended it for showing society's advance in its ability to organise human labour.
Contemporary society is still highly structured and organised, perhaps more so than in the past. Organisational structure is very important to most companies and they spend considerable time ensuring that their structure is cost-effective and efficient to enable it to compete.
Another key Marxist idea was alienation; that is, where people become isolated from the society around them. In a workplace, this is an idea that still has relevance. Contemporary writers consider alienation to have a more social-psychological interpretation, leading to feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, self-estrangement and social isolation (Krahn and Lowe, 1993). There may be various reasons why alienation occurs in a modern day business. Bureaucracy and organisational structures, lack of ownership, social disorganisation, poor management and advancing technology are among the most common. Such alienation leads to loss of control over working conditions, lack of meaning in work and the loss of self-expression. Some authors consider assembly line workers show the greatest sense of alienation, while workers such as physicians, teachers or other professionals experience the least alienation because they are both more involved with their work and have more direct control over it.
Emile Durkheim, the French sociologist, wrote about "anomie" in The Division of Labour in Society, (1893), which was the process of deregulation that was occurring in society. The rules on how people should behave with one another were no longer clear cut as in the past, so people were unsure what to expect from each other. Anomie is a state where norms are confused, unclear or not present. Durkheim believed that traditional religions provided the basis for common values which the anomic individual lacks. Nowadays, with the much greater prevalence of conflicting opinions and the freedom of expression (often encouraged by political correctness), people are less likely to conform and obey rules and regulations. With no clear or common goal, it is hard for people to work and live in harmony. If a company or society lacks a cohesive identity, there is likely to be anomie as no one knows in which direction the organisation is heading or what to expect from one another.
Another Durkheim idea was that of division of labour. Its primary aim was to increase efficiency and output by giving specialised tasks to clearly defined sections of the workforce. Sir William Petty was probably the first to write about it two centuries earlier. He noted its existence and how useful it was in Dutch shipyards. Originally, ships would be constructed one after the other, with workers doing several different tasks and completing ships one by one. However, they then changed to "task specialisation" so that multiple ships could be produced at any one time.
This is much more common today with production lines and people repeating the same task on multiple items. Whilst for some workers this may become repetitive and monotonous, it usually does lead to optimal production. However, this process of task specialisation means that Marx's concept of alienation is very relevant today. Marx wrote that "with this division of labour", the worker is "depressed spiritually and physically to the condition of a machine". He said that it may be technically necessary that both pleasant and unpleasant jobs must be done by a group of people, but he added that it does not mean that an individual must do any particular job. He believed that if certain people get to do the unpleasant jobs and others the pleasant jobs, "this cannot be explained by technical necessity; it is a socially made decision, which could be made using a variety of different criteria. The tasks could be rotated, or a person could be assigned to a task permanently...."
In contemporary employment a labour specialisation hierarchy is almost inevitable, for the simple reason that no one individual can do every job required in a company. However, hierarchies in a company can be formed in many different ways. A relatively new Western concept is that of meritocracy where a company is structured, based on the ability of employees so that those with the best qualifications, most experience and ability are likely rise to higher positions within the company.
So, to some extent, Marx and Durkheim's ideas continue to have relevance in understanding contemporary employment. However there are many other dimensions which have not been explored. For example, the simple fact that classical sociological theory is based on the writers' experiences at the time of writing, meant they could not, and had not, taken into account the modern workplace. One prime example is that advances have meant that fewer jobs are done manually nowadays due to the increased use of machines and technology. This has meant that there are fewer mundane jobs which lead to division of labour, alienation and anomie. While their underlying principles are still applicable to certain jobs, it is likely that their ideas are not applicable to nearly as many jobs today, whilst modern managers try very hard to keep the workforce motivated and involved.
Contemporary supporters of Marx argue that his analysis of social class and commodities is still useful as his critique of capitalism can be applied to the current global situation and that alienation is still a problem. However, employers have recognised that it is necessary for employees to work as a team to achieve specific goals and that there is a need for a sense of ownership of the project they work on. So, more and more companies are making a conscious effort to reduce alienation. Anomie, however, is still perhaps present, because companies give their employees more autonomy over the job they do and how they do it. This means there are fewer rules and regulations which may lead to uncertainty about how a particular task should be carried out.
In conclusion, classical sociological theory still helps us to understand how best to deal with complex employment situations and how to re-order society to give the workforce more status and involvement. It must be noted, however, that there are limitations to the theories because of the way the workplace has changed since Marx and Durkheim's time. Their theories can be used as a basis for analysis, but not as definitive guides to understanding contemporary employment.
References
Alaniz, R. (2003). "The Communist Manifesto and its contemporary relevance".
Durkheim, E. (1893). "The Division of Labour in Society". The Free Press
Krahn, H. J. and G. S. Lowe, Work, Industry, and Canadian Society, second edition, Scarborough, Nelson Canada, 1993.
Marx, K. (1848). "The Communist Manifesto"
Candidate Number: H22116
