Caveat operarius

We've all heard of caveat emptor  most commonly translated as 'buyer beware'. This week I was reminded of caveat operarius, similarly translated as 'workers beware'. I  picked up a comment somewhere that associated caveat operarius with the phrase "vulture capitalism" and described as occupational slavery.

Scene in North West Carolina

I continually read about the casualisation of the workforce; the rise of the contingent worker; the demise of the full time permanent job with a move to portfolio work (often a euphemism for underemployment). Whilst the harsh realities of this new world of work are well known, they remain poorly described and we really don't know the true social, emotional and economic costs.

Triangle Shirtwaist factory after the fire

Has anything changed since  146 girls and young women perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911? In 2012, a little more than 100 years later, a known number of 112 people died in not dissimilar circumstances in the Tazreen Fashions factory fire.

The Tazreen Fashions factory after the fire

What is it drives us to accept working conditions that we theoretically know to be downright unsafe, illegal and/or morally wrong?

We, the precariat

I referenced Dr George Morgan in my last post. In a recent conversation he referred to the "intellectual precariat - the academic pieceworkers of the 21st century."  Whilst we were focusing on academic employment, this is true of employment beyond the realms of the tertiary sector. "Knowledge workers" are increasingly finding themselves in a situation well known to itinerant workers such as fruit pickers, banana packers and sheep shearers. If you are where the work is, when the work is there, you stand a good chance of picking it up. If you aren't, you won't. If you can't move to it, you won't get it.

A section of society, previously protected from the uncertainties of seasonal/fluctuating work is now exposed to, if not directly experiencing it.

I could ramble on, however it will become even more incoherent. Hopefully someone can follow my poorly articulate train of thought.

I'll end with a quote George Morgan uses at the end of this email signature block that has more relevance to my previous post, however links with those with the power and influence to minimise the caveat operarius warning and improve the treatment of the "intellectual precariat":

"If one meets a powerful person … one can ask five questions: what power do you have; where did you get it; in whose interests do you exercise it; to whom are you accountable; and, how can we get rid of you? Anyone who cannot answer the last of those questions does not live in a democratic system" Tony Benn 

Questioning leadership and (academic) freedom

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr George Morgan from the University of Western Sydney on 'questioning leadership'.

How do we respond in situations where leadership behaviours are against what we believe to be morally and ethically wrong? Whilst Dr Morgan presented and invited discussion on this within his plenary, today I want to revisit his observations on the situation.

One of the many realities facing us is that once we assume a position of leadership, we immediately become answerable to a larger bureaucracy. We are answerable to those 'who inhabit a different universe and hence we are caught between former colleagues and our political masters'. In a bureaucratic hierarchy, each level above us is the bottom of another one.

The education sector across the world is in the middle of a messy shift as politicians and administrators corporatise education systems, viewing education as a 'marketplace' responding to 'consumer choice'.

Dr Morgan referenced Dr Thomas Docherty from the University of Warwick and articles he has written on the unseen academy and academic freedom. Education professionals, and system administrators in particular would do well to peruse these.

It is not only the education sector that is in the middle of this mess. Health professionals and others find themselves in conflict with the administration, operating in an environment of conflicting priorities and imperatives. Dr Morgan wisely reminds us that this is a cascading conflict and that there are administrators who were once colleagues.

Even in moments of deep despair at the state of bureaucratic hierarchies, I try remain hopeful that we can find something beyond the binary of yes/no, ether/or. In this seemingly intractable situation, there has to be a 3rd way, one that Roger Martin describes in his book The Opposable Mind.

There are various reasons for our conscious or sub-conscious decision not to speak out, whatever our place in the bureaucratic hierarchy. Observed and lived experience may cause us to see any action as more trouble than it's worth and 'bound to fail'. We may also be choose to 'bubble wrap' ourselves from the environment around us and create a space in which to stay true to our values. Some are in a position and/or chose to take the risk and say 'no', enough is enough, and walk away.

I am reminded of bridges. We see resistance as futile, there being no alternative other than to precariously walk across the rotting bridge. We may hide under it hoping not to be seen, patching the supports where we can to try and prevent it all falling down. Alternatively we turn away and seek to find another safer and better maintained bridge to cross. It appears that openness about the reasons for choosing another path are received as a metaphorical burning of the bridge. In all cases we put ourselves at risk. At risk of physical (and psychological) harm due to the bridge collapsing from under us, or onto us; or from finding ourselves lost, unable to find a safer pathway.

It remains a point of great sadness for me that the despondency that can set in at the difficulty of finding a secure path, causes us to settle for a 'bridge' that we know is in a state of disrepair in the hope that this time it could be different.

The open and unseen warfare that exists in these environments takes our focus away from the very purpose of the organisation, from its very reason for being. This results in a despair and dissatisfaction all round; 'consumers' included.

2015

"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; he who makes one if a fool" F.M. Knowles

It's that time of year again...

+Helen Blunden wrote a post about her 3 words for 2015 which prompted a some casual thoughts from this direction and a quick tweet in reply of "meaningful", "intentional" and "authentic".

That was a few days ago.

I paused to jot down a few ideas this morning and returned to these 3 words, asking myself if 2015's words are to be...

• meaningful
• intentional
• authentic

...are they the 'right' words and more to the point, what was my 'intent' behind their choice?

What would a meaningful year look like? More could be said on this matter than there are pages in the webverse and I'm not going there. When I was mulling over my 3 words, I wanted to include 'purpose' or 'purposeful', yet decided to opt for meaningful. For me, they go together; doing something on purpose yet without meaning is not worth contemplating.

I asked my good friend Google and this is what she offered me;

meaningful

ˈmiːnɪŋfʊl,-f(ə)l/

adjective

1. having meaning.

   "meaningful elements in a language"

   synonyms:

   significant, relevant, important, consequential, material, telling, pithy,weighty, valid, worthwhile, purposeful "a meaningful remark"

   • serious, important, or worthwhile.

     "the new structure would bring meaningful savings"

     synonyms:

     sincere, deep, serious, in earnest, significant, important "a meaningful relationship"

   • communicating something that is not directly expressed.

     "meaningful glances and repressed passion"

     synonyms:

     expressive, eloquent, pointed, significant, meaning;

At this point I am reminded of the movie Hugo and the notion that 'everyone has a purpose'.

There's a lovely excerpt from the movie here http://youtu.be/nE70UbTl1rY

So...for me meaning and purpose go hand in hand in my hopes for 2015.

Why intentional? I considered 'focused' as I know this is something I need to get better at as I'm addicted to distractions. I settled on 'intentional' as it was a means to reconcile the meaningful/purposeful quandary. Again, Google offers this;

intentional

ɪnˈtɛnʃ(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

1. done on purpose; deliberate.

   "intentional wrongdoing and harm"

   synonyms:

   deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended, planned,meant, considered, studied, knowing, wilful, wanton, purposeful,purposive, purposed, premeditated, pre-planned, thought out in advance,prearranged, preconceived, predetermined...

How I chose to spend my time is just that; my choice. If I am without focus for a day or however long, it is my choice. So I will spend my time as I intend to and be conscious of the consequences.

So where does authentic fit? Be real; be true. I don't mean abandoning all self-control. For me a year of authenticity will be one where I am true to what I believe in and true to myself.

What lies ahead?

To be honest, I'm not sure. However, for me, if these are to be 'my words' for 2015, the challenge is significant. It will take courage and persistence and only I can do it!  So...how? Through meaningful, intentional and authentic endeavours maybe?

Whilst I would love someone else to hold me to this, it really is up to me if it is to be!

Happy 2015 one and all!