Rethinking Dignity in the Workplace

Dignity in the context of work organisations has been explored by a range of scholars globally, yet the potential of this interdisciplinary concept is overwhelmed by our commitment to outdated philosophies and the narrow paradigmatic concerns of academic subdisciplines. Bringing together the work of sociologists, philosophers, political theorists, and a wide selection of business and management scholarship, this book highlights areas in which ‘workplace’ dignity needs a rethink. Starting with the foundational philosophical assumptions, this book challenges a deontological ethic and a simple atomistic view of persons. A specific thesis of dignity as emergent from social performance is presented which is informed by symbolic interactionism, actor-network theory, and liberal and feminist philosophy. With organisational examples throughout, this radical rethink has serious implications not only for the study of dignity in the context of contemporary work activity but also respecifies how we think about our obligations to ourselves and others in networks of relations.

Laura Mitchell is a senior lecturer in the School for Business and Society, University of York, UK. Laura has been working in higher education since 2007 and completed her PhD in Management at the University of Lancaster, UK, in 2011. Her work concentrates on organisational culture and ethics with a recent interest in gamification. She engages in the active practice of playful pedagogies.