Unpopular Culture by John R Weeks

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Summary

John R. Weeks based his study on long-term observations made at the British Armstrong Bank in the UK. Not one person, from the CEOs to the junior clerks had anything good to say about its corporate culture, yet the way things were done never seemed to alter.

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Unpopular Culture by John R Weeks

When you start a new job, you learn how things are done in the company, and you learn how they are complained about too. Unpopular Culture considers why people complain about their work culture and what impact those complaints have on their organizations. John Weeks based his study on long-term observations of the British Armstrong Bank in the United Kingdom. Not one person at this organization, he found, from the CEO down to the junior clerks, had anything good to say about its corporate culture. And yet, despite all the griping—and despite high-profile efforts at culture change—the way things were done never seemed fundamentally to alter. The organization was restructured, jobs redefined, and processes redesigned, but the complaining remained the same.

As Weeks demonstrates, this is because the everyday standards of behavior that regulate complaints curtail their effectiveness. Embarrass someone by complaining in a way that is too public or too pointed, and you will find your social standing diminished. Complain too loudly or too long, and your coworkers might see you as contrary. On the other hand, complain too little and you may be seen as too stiff or just too strange to be trusted. The rituals of complaint, Weeks shows, have powerful social functions.
Weeks, John R.: - John R. Weeks is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography and director of the International Population Center at San Diego State University. He is also Clinical Professor of Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, a Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology and a research associate of the Broom Center for Demography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds a doctorate in Demography from the University of California, Berkeley, from which he also received a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master's degree in Demography. After spending the first two decades of his career in Sociology (including seven years as department chair at San Diego State University), he moved into Geography. An author and co-author of numerous books, Dr. Weeks has published more than 140 papers and chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books. His research has been funded by millions of dollars in grants from private and public sources, including the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In 2016 Dr. Weeks was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Population Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780226878119
ISBN 10 0226878112
Title Unpopular Culture
Author John R Weeks
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Year published 2003-12-15
Number of pages 176
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.