Ackroyd and Thompson have written a stimulating
book that gives a different perspective on organisational behaviour- they explore
the notion of misbehaviour. This, they contend, is a matter of imposed
definition by the group which has the power to determine what is deemed acceptable
behaviour. They argue that both managers and academics underestimate the extent
of such misbehaviour and also exaggerate the impact on the organisation of misbehaviour.
A key factor is that the processes which are formative of organisational
behaviour lay outside the control of managers and a key them of the book is the
relationship between autonomy and control. For Ackroyd and Thompson, the pursuit
of autonomy is the root of misbehaviour. Control can never be absolute, and employees
will find ways of evading and subverting managerial organisation and direction
of work Groups do form interests and establish identities and develop autonomy,
sometimes independent of management Exploring below the surface of organisations
reveals absenteeism, sabotages, fiddles or restrictions of output, go-slows etc.They
identify 4 directions that misbehaviour can take arising from: - appropriation
of time
- appropriation of work
- appropriation of product
- appropriation
of identity
Ackroyd and Thompson also suggest that there are variations
in its degree of intensity from positive engagement, through increasing degrees
of non-compliance to outright hostility and withdrawal. However, they do argue
that in some cases such behaviour is not discouraged by management and give numerous
examples to support their arguments. Thus, managers sometimes co-operate in rule-breaking
id it means that targets are met. Ackroyd and Thompson are critical of
previous studies of misbehaviour which classifies it in terms of traditional industrial
relations, labour process or deviancy studies which focus on individual psychology.
They argue that management seeks to define behaviour as acceptable or unacceptable
– thus it is a product of controlling regimes as much as the behaviour of
individuals and groups. At the same time they are also critical of recent work
on managerialism as an ideology which, they contend, are long on accounts of the
manipulation of meaning BUT short on the evidence that organisations work in the
ways that are alleged. They are also critical of Foucauldian accounts of workplace
social relations that treat the workplace as just another terrain for the individuals
struggle for identity in post modernity. There are conditions and struggles specific
to the labour process and the employment relationship! Thus they are sceptical
of the notion that in recent times we have seen the employment relationship transformed
into a qualitatively new kind of organisation in which misbehaviour is seldom
seen – organisations that are value rather than control driven. Thus the
corporate culture approach which finds agreement in common values through new
management practices, aided by technology, is not proven. The book is a
timely reminder that employees do not necessarily buy into the message that managers
send out, and academics should not necessarily believe all that managers tell
them. Behaviour rarely conforms to managerial expectations. (London,
Sage Publications Ltd) pp184 ISBN 0 8039 8735 8 (hbk) >>
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