Management divided: Contradictions of labor management By Matt Vidal. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. 384 pp. ISBN 9780198795278, $100 (hardcover).
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| Author | Valeria Pulignano |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12770 |
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around the globe and work from home, usually in ‘Global technological Cities’ for high-skilled
jobs (Sassen, 2018;Simone,2021;Simone,2023), or in peripherical zones for low-skilled tasks. As
a result, political mobilizations and conflicts with platforms become more challenging.
However, even with different modes of online and offline interactionand struggle, workplaces
and labour tasks, digital workers are raising new forms of conflicts that need more empirical field
studies and innovative theoretical frameworks to be studied.
ORCID
Giuseppe Simone https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6229-9149
REFERENCES
Sassen, S. (2018) Cities in a world economy. Sage Publications.
Simone, G. (2021) The polarisation of Italian metropolitan areas, 2000–2018: structural change, technology and
growth. University of Siena.
Simone, G. (2023) Highly discriminating - whythe city isn’t fair and diversity doesn’t work by Ashley, Louise, ISBN
978–1529227673, £19.99. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 61, 472–474.
DOI: 10.1111/bj ir.12770
Management divided: Contradictions of labor management
By Matt Vidal. New York:Oxford University Press, 2022. 384 pp. ISBN 9780198795278,
$100 (hardcover).
Valeria Pulignano
Centre for Sociological Research – KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Matt Vidal’s Management Divided stands as an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking
contribution to the realm of labour process research and critical management studies. This book
not only piques curiosity but also enriches our understanding of management strategies, lean
organizational models and workers’ attitudes through a wealth of empirical evidence and a fresh
approach. One of the book’s strengths lies in its empirical foundation. Vidal’s meticulous data
collection and analysis create a compelling narrative that resonates with readers. The real-world
examples and case studies bring management theories to life, making them accessible and relat-
able. This approach offers readers a deeper insight into the complex dynamics of contemporary
‘lean’ workplaces.
The book consists of 10 chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 present the literature review on lean pro-
duction and theorize around labour process by focusing on the contradictory pressures and
conflict over the routine politics of production. Chapters 4 through 9 present the empirics and
methodology. Chapter 5 gives an overview of labour management and work organization in 22
component suppliers, developing a typology of four approaches to lean, such as high involve-
ment lean, autonomous lean, lean standardization and lean enough. Chapters 6 through 8 present
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