
Issue No 69		01 September 2000

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Review

No Long Term

By Noel Hester

Much political commentary is about the global marketplace and the use of new technologies as hallmarks of the new capitalism. Richard Sennett investigates another dimension of change: new ways of organising time, particularly working time.

The most tangible sign of that change might be the motto 'No long term.'

It is the time dimension Sennett says in The Corrosion of Character which most directly affects people's emotional lives outside the workplace. Transposed to the family realm 'no long term' means keep moving, don't commit yourself and don't sacrifice.

The new corporate regime is characterised by short termism, extreme flexibility, high levels of risk and what Sennett describes as concentration of power without centralization of power. There are constant attacks on the 'bureaucratic nature' of the old regime.

The new 'flexible corporation' has become an archipeligo of related activities with communication in a network occurring like travel between islands- but at the speed of light, thanks to modern technologies.

There is a convoluted command structure which no longer has the clarity of a pyramid but domination from the top is both strong and shapeless. New information systems provide a comprehensive picture of the organization to top managers in ways which give individuals anywhere in the network little room to hide.

Sennett asks these questions of this regime ; can long lasting social relations be sustained? How can a human being develop a narrative of identity and life history in a society composed of episodes and fragments?

Sennett points out that the long term capitalism which the new regime takes aim was short lived - the decades spanning the mid 20th century. The disorder of early capitalism was brought under control after World War Two by strong unions, the welfare state and large scale corporations . All combined to produce an era of relative stability.

In the operations of modern markets the disruption of organizations has become profitable. Yet Sennett points out studies of firms in the 1990s by the American Management Association and private HR studies found that 'repeated downsizings produce ''lower profits and declining worker productivity.'. The Wyatt group of companies found 'less than half the companies achieved their expense reduction goals, fewer than one third increased profitability and less than one in four increased their productivity.'

Sennett damns the superficially progressive practices of flextime and team work.

While the flex time worker controls the location of labor, surveillance of labour is often greater for those absent from the office than for those who are present, he says. The 'metric logic' of time has shifted from the time clock to the computer screen. Power over the worker is more direct. Working at home is the ultimate island of the new regime.

Teamwork allows the boss to avoid being held responsible for his or her actions; it's all on the player's shoulders. The good team player doesn't whine. Fictions of teamwork because of their superficiality focus on the immediate moment, avoid resistance and deflect confrontation and are therefore useful in the exercise of domination.

Risk is central to the new regime. For Bill Gates and the other corporate emperors of Davos the capacity to let go of the past and the confidence to accept fragmentation make them at home in the new capitalism.

But risk is no longer the domain of venture capitalists or extraordinary adventurous individuals. Risk is to be a daily necessity shouldered by the masses who know a kind of dull continual worry. Being continually exposed to risk eats away at your sense of character. You are always starting over.

Risk is the making of the magnate but it corrodes the characters of more ordinary employees who try to play by these rules.

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Issue 69 contents

Interview: Global Warrior
International unions have won a game of political football with soccer`s hierarchy - and Aussie Tim Noonan is behind the victory.

History: King of Broken Hill
John Shields recounts the colourful life of William Sydney 'Shorty' O'Neil (1903-2000) and his place in the rich history of a remarkable town.

International: History Repeats At Firestone
More than 8,000 workers, members of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), are set to strike at nine Bridgestone/Firestone plants in the United States at midnight tonight.

Politics: The Past We Need To Understand
In his Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture Malcolm Fraser retraces the path of Australian race relations and laments the terrible impasse we've reached.

Unions: Economic Democracy
Sharan Burrow on making Working Australia's money talk and reforming corporate culture for the 21st Century.

Satire: Another windscreen washer joins millionaire list
SYDNEY, Monday: After just a year in his new job, John Samuels has added his name to the burgeoning list of enterprising Australians who have made their fortunes by offering partial car-washing facilities in convenient inner city road-side locations.

Review: No Long Term
Much political commentary is about the global marketplace and the use of new technologies as hallmarks of the new capitalism. Richard Sennett investigates another dimension of change: new ways of organising time, particularly working time.

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