Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Flexible, Adaptable, Employable: Ethics for a New Labour Market

Salomonsson, Karin LU orcid (2005) p.117-129
Abstract
A leaner organization of labour, outsourcing and new forms of employment imply significant changes. Politicians and private employers alike emphasize that it is the individual's responsibility to be 'employable'. In his influential discussion of flexible capitalism, Richard Sennett traces the concept of flexibility back to fifteenth-century English. Then it was used with reference to patterns of movement exemplified by the ability of a tree to bend in the wind and then straighten again. Flexibility can be associated with creativity, which implies an open-minded attitude or a state of readiness to act in the face of new ideas and ways of working. In a labour market situation that demands constant upgrading and development, an industry of... (More)
A leaner organization of labour, outsourcing and new forms of employment imply significant changes. Politicians and private employers alike emphasize that it is the individual's responsibility to be 'employable'. In his influential discussion of flexible capitalism, Richard Sennett traces the concept of flexibility back to fifteenth-century English. Then it was used with reference to patterns of movement exemplified by the ability of a tree to bend in the wind and then straighten again. Flexibility can be associated with creativity, which implies an open-minded attitude or a state of readiness to act in the face of new ideas and ways of working. In a labour market situation that demands constant upgrading and development, an industry of companies working with competence development has emerged: educational companies, consultants, therapists, management professionals and, more recently, colleges offering everything from further education to an afternoon's stand-up comedy. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
experience economy, creative careers, stylized work, flexibility management, post-social phenomenon
host publication
Magic, Culture and the New Economy
editor
Löfgren, Orvar and Willim, Robert
pages
117 - 129
publisher
Berg Publishers
external identifiers
  • scopus:85095675163
ISBN
1-84520-091-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Republished by T&F 2020, eISBN: 9781003103196
id
df491167-7450-4193-858c-00390bbe7026 (old id 835079)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 12:04:01
date last changed
2022-12-21 05:05:41
@inbook{df491167-7450-4193-858c-00390bbe7026,
  abstract     = {{A leaner organization of labour, outsourcing and new forms of employment imply significant changes. Politicians and private employers alike emphasize that it is the individual's responsibility to be 'employable'. In his influential discussion of flexible capitalism, Richard Sennett traces the concept of flexibility back to fifteenth-century English. Then it was used with reference to patterns of movement exemplified by the ability of a tree to bend in the wind and then straighten again. Flexibility can be associated with creativity, which implies an open-minded attitude or a state of readiness to act in the face of new ideas and ways of working. In a labour market situation that demands constant upgrading and development, an industry of companies working with competence development has emerged: educational companies, consultants, therapists, management professionals and, more recently, colleges offering everything from further education to an afternoon's stand-up comedy.}},
  author       = {{Salomonsson, Karin}},
  booktitle    = {{Magic, Culture and the New Economy}},
  editor       = {{Löfgren, Orvar and Willim, Robert}},
  isbn         = {{1-84520-091-8}},
  keywords     = {{experience economy; creative careers; stylized work; flexibility management; post-social phenomenon}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{117--129}},
  publisher    = {{Berg Publishers}},
  title        = {{Flexible, Adaptable, Employable: Ethics for a New Labour Market}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}