Globalization, Flexibility and New Workplace Culture in the United States and India

The literature on globalization of services has tended to focus on advanced industrial nations, underestimating the important role Southern markets have played. Given the complexities of the global economy, much can be gained from exploring the ways in which flexible management practices and workpla...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociology compass 2011-07, Vol.5 (7), p.525-539
Main Author: Arabandi, Bhavani
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employment
Globalization
India
Markets
National Security
United States of America
Workers
Workplaces
World Economy
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Summary:The literature on globalization of services has tended to focus on advanced industrial nations, underestimating the important role Southern markets have played. Given the complexities of the global economy, much can be gained from exploring the ways in which flexible management practices and workplace culture in the United States and India have increasingly conjoined under an emerging set of common principles. In particular, one finds similar phenomena contributing to patterns of job insecurity in both countries: non‐standard employment contracts, long working hours, growing emphasis on individualization, and increasing control over workers. Interestingly, workers in both countries have similar strategies in staying employed as well as dealing with the growing insecurity. In neither country, however, has employment precariousness resulted in a backlash against the government. I posit the reason for this is that even as workers recognize the structural sources of job insecurity due to globalization, they individualize their failures and inability to cope with the changing market.
ISSN:1751-9020
1751-9020
DOI:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2011.00389.x