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Futures for work

Futures for work

A book of original readings

Published for the centennial of the first works council in the Netherlands: Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek N.V., 1 November 1878 - Gist-Brocades N.V., 1 November 1978.

by Jaap Boersma, Kenneth E. Boulding, Bertrand de Jouvenel, William R. Dill, Branko Horvat, John Hughes, Sven Lindqvist, Jan Tinbergen and Jef A. P. Van Hoof.

Edited and introduced by Geert Hofstede

European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, Brussels, Belgium

Springer-Science+Business Media, B. V. 1979

ISBN 978-94-017-1647-5 ISBN 978-94-017-1645-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-1645-1

© 1979 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Martinus Nijhoff Pub1ishers B.V., The Hague in 1979 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1979

© 1979 Chapter 10 by Sven Lindqvist

No part ofthis book may be reproduced in any form by print, photoprint, microfilm or any othe means, without written permission from the copyrightholders.

Contents

Foreword . . . VII

List of contributors IX

Introduction: from 1878 to 2028. 1

I. Works councils in the Netherlands, past and present ,

1. The history of a socia1 invention . . . . Geert Hofstede

2. Works counci1s in the Netherlands in 1978 Jef A. P. van Hoof

11. Ideas for the future of work

3. Work and va1ues in the next fifty years Jaap Boersma

4. Work and well-being - desires for the future Jan Tinbergen

11

31

55

67

5. Dilemmas ofthe 1abour bargain in the world ofthe future 81 Kenneth E. Bou/ding

6. Man and his needs . 99 Bertrand de Jouvenel

7. The future ofwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 John Hughes

VI

8. Towards self-governing socialism . Branko Horvat

9. Issues and alternatives for industrial democracy William R. Dill

10. A future in retrospect . Sven Lindqvist

Index of subjects .

Index of names

CONTENTS

. 127

. 139

153

169

173

Foreword

One hundred years ago, on the first of November 1878, the first, partly elected, workers representation within a Dutch industrial concern was installed. This took place at the Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusjabriek which is now known, since amalgamating in 1967 with Brocades, Stheeman & Pharmacia, as Gist-Brocades. The centennial of workers representation occurs at a time in which the debate about the relationship between man and his work has reached a new height. The role of social pioneer that, in the history of industry, fell to this concern, now creates for us a twofold obli­gation:

In the first instance to give due honour, after 100 years, to the pioneer ofthose days, J. C. Van Marken and to commemorate hirn in contemporary fashion: the first chapter of this book, published on the occasion ofthe centennial, is devoted to the life and work of our illustrious precursor.

Secondly we fee! that it is in the spirit of pioneership to look forward and thereby direct ourselves primarily to the future of work. To this end, the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management in Brussels formulated some pertinent questions which were then laid before a number of prominent writers and social thinkers in Holland and elsewhere. This book contains their responses.

VIII FOREWORD

We did not ask the authors to look into teacups or to tell the future from the stars. What is brought forward are thoughts and the fathers of thoughts: wishes, in the area of labour relations and individual and social prosperity. Our personal wish is that these centennial essays may find a wide audience and this forms the reason why there is an English, as weH as a Dutch edition of the book.

DeIft, Summer 1978 E. W. ter Horst, Mech. Eng. Chairman, Board of Management and Central Works Council, Gist-Brocades N.V.

Oldest known photograph of a meeting of De Kern.

Local works council, Gist-Brocades N.V., Delft.

I. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

I. J aap Boersma 2. Kenneth E. Boulding 3. Bertrand de Jouvenel 4. William R. Dill 5. Geert Hofstede 6. Branko Horvat 7. John Hughes 8. Sven Lindqvist 9. Jan Tinbergen

10. Jef A . P. van Hoof

10.

List of contributors

Jaap Boersma, born 1929, was from 1971 until 1978 Minister of Social Affairs of the Netherlands. Having studied economics at Rotterdam University and at the Free University of Amsterdam, he worked from 1953 until1971 as economic advisor to the (Protes­tant) Christian National Labour Federation (C.N.V.). From 1964 unti11971, and again in 1978, he was a member of parliament. As of December 1978, he is a member ofthe Board ofManagement ofthe OGEM Corporation. From 1967 until1971 he was also a member of the European Parliament at Strasbourg, a deputy member of the tripartite Socia1 Economic Counci1 ofthe Netherlands (emp10yers, 1abour, government), a member of the Stichting van de Arbeid (in which emp10yers and 1abour meet), and chairman ofthe Consumers Contact Commission. He is a member of the board of directors of Algemene Bank Nederland.

Dr. Kenneth Bou1ding, born in England in 1910, is an internation­ally known economist and Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Co10rado. He studied at Oxford and Chicago and became an American citizen in 1948. He taught at a number of universities, both in the United States and abroad. He has been President of, among others, the American Economic Association and the international Peace Research Society, and has received many honorary degrees. Professor Boulding has written about 30 books and numerous artic1es in the areas of economics and philosophy, and on questions of war and peace. He is one of the founders of general systems theory.

x LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Bertrand de Jouvenel. born 1903, is a 1eading French po1itica1 scientist. He studied 1aw, mathematics and bio10gy. Unti1 the Second World War he was a politica1journalist. In 1928, he coined the term r economie dirigee [p1anned economy] in the title of a book. Having sought refuge in Switzerland in 1943, he wrote Du Pouvoir [On Power]; this led to his being invited for lecturing at British and American universities. Back in France, he took up achair at the University ofParis. He wrote other books on political subjects and more recently on environmental conservation. He founded the international futuro10gical society 'Futuribles'. He lives at Anser­ville Castle, near Paris.

Dr. William Dill, born 1930, is Dean of the Facu1ty of Business Administration and Professor of Management and Behaviora1 Science, New York University. He studied industria1 administra­tion and behavioural sciences, and subsequently did research in Norway. Later on he became a professor at Carnegie Institute of Techno10gy in Pittsburgh. He interrupted his academic career to serve for five years as an executive of the IBM Corporation. He is invo1ved in consu1ting, training and directorships in a variety of organizationa1 settings, ranging from corporations to 1abour unions, in the United States and overseas. His pub1ications and research interests cover the areas of managerial decision making, organizational design, human deve10pment, East-West manage­ment relations, and corporate governance.

Dr. Geert Hofstede, born 1928, is Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management in Brusse1s. He studied mechanical engineering at Delft Institute ofTechnology and was subsequently employed as a worker, foreman, industrial engineer and plant manager in various manufacturing companies in the Netherlands. In 1967 he was awar­ded a Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Groningen. From 1965 to 1971 he was responsible for personnel research in IBM

Europe. His present research interest and publications are mainly centred on the role of values in organizations and how these differ between nations.

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS XI

Dr. Branko Horvat, born 1928, is Professor of Economics at the University of Zagreb and Fellow and former Director of the Insti­tute ofEconomic Sciences, Belgrade. He studied economics, sociol­ogy and philosophy in Zagreb, Manchester and Boston. Besides at his own university, he has taught at a number of universities in Yugoslavia and abroad. Professor Horvat is Advisor to the Yugo­slav Prime Minister and to the governments of Bangladesh, Brazil and Peru. His numerous publications and his own research are mainly centred on the political economy of socialism and on econ­omic planning.

John Hughes, born 1927, is Vice-Principal of Ruskin College at Oxford University, which provides higher education courses for working-c1ass adult students. He studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford. He has taught economics and labour rela­tions and also heads the Trade Union Research Unit, which pro­vides research services to some forty associated trade unions. Currently he is on secondment from his college as Deputy Chair­man ofthe Price Commission, a public agency with extensive inves­tigatory powers. His publications and research have dealt partic­ularly with industrial and labour economics and with trade union organization and policy.

Dr. Sven Lindqvist, born 1932, is a well-known Swedish author and journalist who has written sixteen books, of prose, reporting, and literary and social criticism. He has been a contributor to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper since 1951. He studied Swedish litera­ture and Chinese, the latter partly in Peking in 1961. From 1961 to 1962 he was Cultural Attache at the Swedish Embassy in Peking. In 1966 he obtained his Ph.D. in literature at the University of Stock­holm. Dr. Lindqvist has triivelled extensively in Asia and Latin America. He was a member of the Swedish Royal Commission on Advertising from 1967 to 1974. At present his publications and research interest are focussed on the history and future ofworking life.

XII LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Jan Tinbergen, born 1903, is a Dutch economist of interna­tional standing. In 1969 he shared with R. Frisch the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. He studied physics and from 1933 to 1973 held aChair of Economics at Rotterdam University (now Erasmus University). From 1945 to 1955 he served also as Director ofthe Government Central P1anning Office ofthe Nether­lands. Professor Tinbergen's pub1ications are mainly in the area of economic planning. In particular, he has been concerned with prob­lems of the distribution of the world's wealth over rich and poor nations.

Dr. JefVan Hoof, born 1924, isProfessor oflndustrial Sociology at the Roman Catholic University of Nijmegen. He studied political and social science and sociology. His research and publications are in the fields of worker motivation, choice of occupation, worker participation, personnel management and the labour market. Professor Van Hoofis a member ofthe board ofdirectors ofGist­Brocades N.V.