Keywords
Citation
(1999), "Renaissance Management", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948fab.011
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
Renaissance Management
Renaissance Management
Steve CarterKogan PageISBN: 0749423749
Keywords: Organizational culture, Flexibility, Workers, Innovation
The Renaissance of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries was about the release of energy, learning and enlightenment and the rise of the individual. It led to a refocusing of the relationships between individuals and between those individuals and society. Carter argues that a similar renaissance is happening today. Taking the history and culture of the Renaissance as a metaphor and frame of reference for modern organisations, he examines today's multi-skilled, flexible worker and challenges some of the traditional assumptions concerning the nature of organisations and the relationships they have with their workforces. In particular he criticises the notion of fixed roles, favouring a more flexible and holistic approach to working practice and organisational structure. This leads to the idea that a high performing workforce must be an inconsistent one! Carter argues that the flexible approach will lead to new relationships between individuals and the organisation, higher levels of innovation and creativity -- and, for the individual, a more rewarding role within the organisation which helps realise their true potential.