The New Boss (Paperback)

Niklas Luhmann

ISBN 10: 150951788X / ISBN 13: 9781509517886

Published by Polity Press, Oxford, 2018

About this Item

Paperback. Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases, staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows. Even when the change has happened, problems emerge when the boss who was hired to manage from above has to learn about the organization from below. In this book, Niklas Luhmann scrutinizes the relationship and shows how it is stretched to its limit by communication difficulties, demands for self-presentation, and disagreements concerning fundamental values. Many of the tensions crystallize around the question who has the power? It isnt necessarily the boss, provided the employees are well versed in the art of directing their superiors. Subtervision is Luhmanns term for this state of affairs, and tact is the most important means to this end. Yet caution is advised: whoever achieves mastery in subtervision may well become the new boss. This slim and thought-provoking book from one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century will be of great interest to anyone seeking to understand the dynamics and machinations of the workplace. Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases, staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781509517886

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The New Boss (Paperback)
• Publisher: Polity Press, Oxford
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 150951788X
• ISBN 13: 9781509517886
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases, staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows. Even when the change has happened, problems emerge when the boss who was hired to manage “from above” has to learn about the organization “from below.”

In this book, Niklas Luhmann scrutinizes the relationship and shows how it is stretched to its limit by communication difficulties, demands for self-presentation, and disagreements concerning fundamental values. Many of the tensions crystallize around the question “who has the power?” It isn’t necessarily the boss, provided the employees are well versed in the art of directing their superiors. “Subtervision” is Luhmann’s term for this state of affairs, and tact is the most important means to this end. Yet caution is advised: whoever achieves mastery in subtervision may well become the new boss.

This slim and thought-provoking book from one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century will be of great interest to anyone seeking to understand the dynamics and machinations of the workplace.

About the Author

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Bielefeld University.