Conflict of interest/structured antagonism

Geraint Harvey

Chapter 16 in Theories and Concepts in Work and Employment Relations, 2025, pp 142-148 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: It has been argued that conflict in the workplace is constant and is a consequence of the exploitation inherent in the employment relationship. While other stakeholders may create value for the organization (i.e., workers do not create all of the value produced by the organization), the capitalist system ensures that workers who are subjugated by management do not receive the full value of their labour. Coercion is inherent in the employment relationship for the coordination of workers. Antagonism is structured into the employment relationship that entails subjugation and expoitation. Conflict is not always observable and the absence of evidence of conflict is not evidence of the absence of conflict as workers commonly consent to managerial authority. Workers consent to managerial authority if and for as long as employees feel that it is in their best interests to do so. The importance of structured antagonism to our understanding of organization and people management is undeniable and illustrated in its enduring use as an analytical framework for research.

Keywords: Value; Labour power; Exploitation; Consent; Capitalism; Realist levels of analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035316199
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