They help us understand
why labor and management have often found themselves In such
bitter conflict and why, with the downsizings in executive ranks, many
managers now find themselves sharing the same uncertainty ~d skepticism
with regard to their role in the modem corporation. From the point of
view of a member of the "secondary" labor market who suffers periodic
unemployment with the ups and downs of the business cycle, or who is
engaged in a low-status job that values and uses few of his or her abilities,
or who has suffered from a work-related accident or toxic hazard without
compensation, it may make much more sense to understand organizations
as battlegrounds than as united "teams" or friendly pluralist coalitions.
How can one feel one belongs to a team if one is uncertain whether one
will still be employed next week?