“Some might Call it Work . . . but We don’t”: Exploitation and the Emergence of Free Work

Abstract

The classic distinction between two types of organizational learning – exploitation and exploration – has been unsettled under new forms of workplace regulation. This paper investigates management practices that exploit by exploring, capturing, and enclosing employee efforts (including learning) that occur beyond the formal enterprise. Life itself or bios is put to work. This largely unpaid work is of increasing importance to organizations that require employee qualities it cannot provide on its own accord. Three types “free work” are identified: free time, free self-organization, and free self-development. A critical sociological explanation of this trend is developed and its implications for employment studies discussed.

Citation

Fleming, P. (2012), "“Some might Call it Work . . . but We don’t”: Exploitation and the Emergence of Free Work", Holmqvist, M. and Spicer, A. (Ed.) Managing ‘Human Resources’ by Exploiting and Exploring People’s Potentials (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 37), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 105-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X(2013)0000037008