Myths of the modern workplace.
9/8/2003
The frenzy of the dot-com era wrought significant changes in the American workplace. The new work environment promised greater flexibility, creative challenges, and less reliance on a rigid organizational hierarchy—but not without costs. Andrew Ross, Professor and Director of the American Studies program at NYU, argues that the modern workplace initiated by the digital craze was riddled with inequities and less than pleasant working situations. Using an ethnographic approach, Ross spent over a year at two Silicon Alley companies—Razorfish and 360HipHop—studying their operations. Ross uncovers the realities of working in organizations with flattened hierarchies where staff employees work seventy hours a week and are burdened with risks and responsibilities not proportional to their positions. Ross brings a unique perspective to his study of the modern workplace making contemporary and historical connections from popular culture, management studies, and social theory.