Abstract
In the 70s, Coser (1974) defined the Greedy Institutions as those institutions who asked their members for an “exclusive and undivided loyalty”. These institutions assumed that the “ideal worker” was the one who devoted long hours to their jobs with no family interference (Williams 2000). In some sense, this image of “ideal worker” still exists, but empirical evidence seems to suggest that far from being positive for the organizations, having old “ideal workers” may have a negative impact on the twenty-first century organizations (Reid 2015; Rudman and Mescher 2013; Stone and Hernandez 2013; Williams et al. 2013). Moreover, recent technological, social and demographic changes have reshaped the way people work and the way families organize themselves (Jacobs and Gerson 2001; Presser 2003). In a situation like that, where more employees ask for a real work-family balance/integration, it is timely and relevant to examine the “new ideal worker”, and to understand how companies adapt to this new situation. Can we define a (new) ideal worker? If yes, are there cultural differences? Do companies offer new programs and policies for the (new) ideal worker? What role does technology play? The first goal of this edited volume is to answer these intriguing questions regarding the new ideal worker.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: A theory of gendered organizations. Gender and Society, 4(2), 139–158.
Coser, L. A. (1974). Greedy institutions; patterns of undivided commitment. New York, NY: Free Press.
Craig, L., & Mullan, K. (2011). How mothers and fathers share childcare: A cross-national time-use comparison. American Sociological Review, 76(6), 834–861. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122411427673.
Eurobarometer. (2015). Gender equality. Special Eurobarometer 428.
Jacobs, J. A., & Gerson, K. (2001). Overworked individuals or overworked families? Explaining trends in work, leisure, and family time. Work and Occupations, 28(1), 40–63.
Kenworthy, L., & Malami, M. (1999). Gender inequality in political representation: A worldwide comparative analysis. Social Forces, 78(1), 235–268.
Presser, H. B. (2003). Working in a 24/7 economy. New York, NY: Russel Sage Foundation.
Reid, E. (2015). Embracing, passing, revealing, and the ideal worker image: How people navigate expected and experienced professional identities. Organization Science, 26(4), 997–1017.
Rudman, L. A., & Mescher, K. (2013). Penalizing men who request a family leave: Is flexibility stigma a femininity stigma? Journal of Social Issues, 69(2), 322–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12017.
Stone, P., & Hernandez, L. A. (2013). The all-or-nothing workplace: Flexibility stigma and “opting out” among professional-managerial women. Journal of Social Issues, 69(2), 235–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12013.
Williams, J. C. (2000). Unbending gender: Why family and work conflict and what to do about it. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Williams, J. C., Blair-Loy, M., & Berdahl, J. L. (2013). Cultural schemas, social class, and the flexibility stigma. Journal of Social Issues, 69(2), 209–234.
Acknowledgements
Before we finish, we wish to express our absolute thankfulness to the members of the ICWF Board, Ellen Gallinsky, Ellen Kossek, Tim Hall, Brad Harrington, and Susan Lewis, for their advice. Sincere thanks also go to all the scholars that participated in our ICWF conferences. A special word of appreciation is owed to all the ICWF staff who helped to organize the conference and this collection. We would like to thank most sincerely all the reviewers who with their constructive comments have elevated the quality of this collection. Finally, thanks to Springer, specially to Rocio Torregrosa, for her enthusiasm, interest and caring disposition.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
las Heras Maestro, M., Chinchilla Albiol, N., Grau Grau, M. (2020). Introduction. In: las Heras Maestro, M., Chinchilla Albiol, N., Grau Grau, M. (eds) The New Ideal Worker. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12477-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12477-9_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12476-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12477-9
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)