The Nature of Work

In this chapter the nature of work is explored – what it is, the various theories about work, the organizational factors that affect it and attitudes towards work.

                                                    WHAT IS WORK?

Work is the exertion of effort and the application of knowledge and skills to achieve a purpose. Most people work to earn a living – to make money. But they also work because of the other satisfactions it brings, such as doing something worthwhile, a sense of achievement, prestige, recognition, the opportunity to use and develop abilities, the scope to exercise power, and companionship. Within organizations, the nature of the work carried out by individuals and what they feel about it are governed by the employment relationship as discussed in Chapter 15 and the psychological contract as considered in Chapter 16.

In this chapter the various theories of work are summarized in the first section. The following sections deal with the organizational factors that affect work such as the ‘lean’ and ‘flexible’ organization, changes in the pattern of working, unemployment, careers and attitudes to work.