"Hodson's brainstorm was to have his cake--his slice of life--and eat it, too: by analyzing multiple ethnographies, he could abstract a one-size-fits-all model. The result is a book laced with wonderful quotes, provocative findings, and bracing insights and speculations. This book is clearly intended fo scholars in organizational studies, although it it's accessible to anyone interested in workplace dignity as a lived experience."

--Administrative Science Quarterly

"This is an important book...both for its methods and for the range of hypotheses it is able to systematically test."

--American Journal of Sociology

"...the most important thing about this book is that it provides some sort of empirical evidence for Theory X/Theory Y type arguments...this is the kind of book that would be really useful to give to students, both for its survey of literature and its general message..."

--Journal of Management

Cambridge University Press Web Site, August, 2003

Working with dignity is a fundamental part of achieving a life well-lived, yet the workplace often poses challenging obstacles because of mismanagement or managerial abuse. Defending dignity and realizing self-respect through work are key to workers' well-being. In this book Randy Hodson, a sociologist of work and organizational behavior, applies ethnographic and statistical approaches to this topic, offering both a richly detailed, inside look at real examples of dignity in action, and a broader analysis of the pivotal role of dignity at work.

Part I. Dignity and its Challenges:

1. Four faces of dignity
2. Toward a theory of dignity
3. Measuring the subtle realms of work

Part II. The Practice of Dignity:

4. Deflecting abuse and mismanagement
5. Confronting overwork
6. Defending autonomy
7. Negotiating employee involvement
8. Coworkers - for better or worse

Part III. The Future of Dignity:

9. Worker dignity and well-being
10. Dignity, agency, and the future of work.