Abstract:

It is often assumed that industrial sociology scarcely existed as a topic of study prior to World War II. Here, we illuminate its antecedents by showing social relations in work organizations being vigorously debated by workers and managers in the Rowntree lecture conferences, an integral part of the British interwar management movement (1918-1939). Whereas the movement has previously been explored purely from management's perspective, we approach it from the perspective of workers and their representatives, accessing their lived experience through first-hand accounts provided in lectures, enabling their unscripted voices to be heard. This was a time when industrial enterprises were growing into large-scale concerns using mass production techniques. While the separation of ownership from control is often treated as an abstract, academic concept, we reveal its material, detrimental impact on working lives in large-scale factories; uncovering the point at which capitalism became 'disconnected' from enterprises, and what this meant practically for British workers.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Management and Business History

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Prof Gareth Shaw