8/9/2019 I Was Reading Roy Jacques

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I was reading Roy Jacques', Manufacturing the employee: Management knowledge from the19th to 21st centuries, a fascinating and intellectually stimulating discussion of the evolution ofthe modern "employee" and the realities of a Federalist reality verses an Industrial reality. Eachreality was a product of its time; they were manifestations of the nations pol itical, economic, andsocial condition. Consider the Federalist reality era of 1790 to 1870. America was emancipatedfrom Great Britain, began its individual economic existence as a sovereign nation. In the initial

stage of this era, the country had no significant manufacturing capacity. Consequently, it seemsimportant that the Federalist be self-sufficient and operates in their autonomous sphere.Jacques points out that the Federalist was omni-competent and had the knowledge toeffectively deal with the problems of society (p.39). The Federalist citizen was a highly unifiedself (p.29); he was the right person for the times.

As the nation gained political and economic stature the population and manufacturing capacityincreased. The Civil War appears to be a major turning point for the nation, which marked theend of Federalism and the beginning of the Industrial reality of 1870 to 1920. Increasedindustrialization of the North due to the Civil War created an economy that could mass-produceconsumer goods. This, in turn, diminished the need of individual self-sufficiency. It also markedthe beginning of a strong centralized Federal government, the incarnation of the United States

as a major world government, and a melding of capital and labor.

Jacques states, The staple roles of the Federalist work owner-operators and workers weredisappearing. New roles appeared managers, employees and capitalists which could not beunderstood in Federalist terms (p.63). The Federalists liked to leave things alone butIndustrialists were people of action and wanted to make things happen. The most importantthing, in my opinion, is that the nation could not sustain its rapid economic growth and consumersophistication in a Federalist reality. The ethos of the nation changed and with it came theIndustrial reality.

I personally prefer the Industrial reality because provided a firm foundation on which theAmerican Dream was established. While I like the idea of omni-competence, it simply does notprovide an adequate framework for maximizing human resources or supporting sophisticatedmanufacturing endeavors.

Jacques, R. (1996). Manufacturing the employee: Management knowledge from the 19th to 21stcenturies. London: Sage Publications.