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Imagined Futures: A Study of Work-Related Uncertainty in the Corporate Environment

Boghian, Elena Manuela LU (2019) TKAM02 20191
Division of Ethnology
Abstract
This is a study of uncertainty in the corporate setting from the perspective of individual employees. While some interviewees talk about accepting uncertainty as an unavoidable state, others tell stories of dread and anguish, associated with instability in the work environment. This research shows how uncertainty as a stress inducing factor can affect both productivity and employee wellbeing, by reducing loyalty and creating a disconnect between individuals and the organizations they work in. This thesis uses as empirical material a collage of intimate accounts of uncertainty at work from internationals who have worked, or are still working, for corporate companies, at different hierarchical levels. A phenomenological framework is used to... (More)
This is a study of uncertainty in the corporate setting from the perspective of individual employees. While some interviewees talk about accepting uncertainty as an unavoidable state, others tell stories of dread and anguish, associated with instability in the work environment. This research shows how uncertainty as a stress inducing factor can affect both productivity and employee wellbeing, by reducing loyalty and creating a disconnect between individuals and the organizations they work in. This thesis uses as empirical material a collage of intimate accounts of uncertainty at work from internationals who have worked, or are still working, for corporate companies, at different hierarchical levels. A phenomenological framework is used to analyze individual narratives and to account for the intertwining, embodied experiences that accompany perceiving, feeling, and enacting uncertainty. Their narratives are strung together in order to observe how uncertainty manifests both in the individual inner worlds as well as in concrete situations. The relational space between human and organizational bodies is analyzed to find ways in which uncertainty can be integrated in the organizational culture in order to create a supportive environment that accommodates both business growth and employee work-life quality. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Boghian, Elena Manuela LU
supervisor
organization
course
TKAM02 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
uncertainty, organizational culture, cultural analysis, phenomenology, corporate, precariat, emotions, stress, workplace, MACA
language
English
id
8994869
date added to LUP
2019-09-13 14:45:15
date last changed
2019-09-13 14:45:15
@misc{8994869,
  abstract     = {{This is a study of uncertainty in the corporate setting from the perspective of individual employees. While some interviewees talk about accepting uncertainty as an unavoidable state, others tell stories of dread and anguish, associated with instability in the work environment. This research shows how uncertainty as a stress inducing factor can affect both productivity and employee wellbeing, by reducing loyalty and creating a disconnect between individuals and the organizations they work in. This thesis uses as empirical material a collage of intimate accounts of uncertainty at work from internationals who have worked, or are still working, for corporate companies, at different hierarchical levels. A phenomenological framework is used to analyze individual narratives and to account for the intertwining, embodied experiences that accompany perceiving, feeling, and enacting uncertainty. Their narratives are strung together in order to observe how uncertainty manifests both in the individual inner worlds as well as in concrete situations. The relational space between human and organizational bodies is analyzed to find ways in which uncertainty can be integrated in the organizational culture in order to create a supportive environment that accommodates both business growth and employee work-life quality.}},
  author       = {{Boghian, Elena Manuela}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Imagined Futures: A Study of Work-Related Uncertainty in the Corporate Environment}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}