Offshoring and the new insecurities: towards new types of 'white collar consciousness' in Germany in globalised working environments.
Autor: Andreas Boes, Tobias Kämpf
Erscheinungsdatum: 13.05.10
Verlag: Analytica Publications Ltd.
Herausgeber: Ursula Huws: Between a rock and a hard place: the shaping of employment in a global economy. (= Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation, 4. Jg., Nr. 1 (Spring)), S. 104-119.
This paper looks at the effects of the globalisation and economisation strategies of IT companies on the work experiences, consciousness and 'interest orientations' of highly-qualified employees in the field of software development and services.
Drawing on a range of qualitative research projects, the authors explore the ways in which the interest orientations of white-collar workers in the IT industry have changed. They conclude that a new insecurity is emerging concerning work content and job stability even on the part of these highly-qualified employees. They mostly ascribe this to the pressures of internationalisation and, more specifically, to the offshoring strategies of companies.
As a result, the traditional 'focus on contribution' of highly-quaified workers is being eroded. This change in interest orientation is complex and partially contradictory. Nevertheless, there is a distinct tendency toward a new employee orientation among these white-collar workers. It remains to be seen in what direction this orientation will develop and, more specifically, what forms of action will emerge in pursuit of these perceived interests.
ISSN: 1745-641X (Print) 1745-6428 (Online)
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