THE FUTURE OF WORK AND THE WORK OF RESEARCHERS

The Perspectives section of this issue discusses the future of work with the viewpoints of Gazi Islam and Wilson Amorim. Since the classic article “Bringing work back in”, by S. Barley e G. Kunda (2001), the subject has been in and out of management studies’ agenda. With the pandemics, the subject is back on the scene as homes being technologized for work productivity (for those who may telework, of course), work-home borders disappear, unemployment rises, companies’ management systems being reorganized, among many other phenomena we are now experiencing. The growth of contract labor, as anticipated by Barley and Kunda (2004), is again in the foreground (Perreira, 2020). However, besides the changes in work organization and people management we also face difficulties doing research about the subject (Oltramari, 2020).

What does it mean to do research on work and what does the researcher’s work mean today? In an interview to O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, Fapesp’s chairman Marco Antonio Zago (2020) says that “the world goes round because of scientific progress, not economy” and that while the cut in research funds has no immediate impact, it has serious consequences to the country in a 10-year horizon. Reducing funds for research is not an action without consequences. If we put together the lack of funds and the practical difficulties doing research on work (and many other vital phenomena in Business Management), then we may envision the future of work and the work of researchers in the country.

Doing science is hard work, but it pays off. Among its results are the articles you will find in this issue: Reinventing everyday life: Consumption practices analysis under Certeau’s optics, by Fernanda Guarnieri and Francisco Giovanni David Vieira; Shareholder concentration, board structure and executive remuneration, by Maria Rafaela de Oliveira Freitas, Gustavo Magno Pereira, Alessandra Carvalho de Vasconcelos and Márcia Martins Mendes De Luca; alliance portfolio and Brazilian industry’s innovative performance, by Frederico G. P. Moreira, Ana L. V. Torkomian and Herick Moralles; and Bad (good) news and delay (anticipation) of financial statements’ disclosure, by Anderson Brito Vivas, Felipe Ramos Ferreira and Fábio Moraes da Costa; in the Perspectives section, The future(s) of work, by Gazi Islam, and The future of work in Brazil: Looking after institutions, by Wilson Aparecido Costa de Amorim; as for the Book Review section, we have Artificial intelligence, work and productivity, by Rodrigo Brandão, and Violence and power: Criticism of racism and anti-racist utopia”, by Pedro Jaime; finally, in the Book Recommendation section, books about The race issue in Brazil are suggested by Professor Pedro Jaime.

We wish that all who participate in the scientific community of Business Administration may continue with their research and teaching, which produce not only scientific articles but also the ability to think and solve complex problems like the ones we are experiencing now.

Enjoy your reading!

REFERÊNCIAS

• Barley, S., & Kunda, G. (2001). Bringing work back in. Organization Science, 12(1).
• Barley, S., & Kunda, G. (2004). Gurus, hired guns, and warm bodies: Itenerant experts in a knowledge economy Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Oltramari, A. (2020, setembro 19). Os desafios da pesquisa sobre o trabalho na atualidade Nuevo Blog. Recuperado de http://nuevoblog.com/2020/09/19/0s-desafios-da-pesquisa-sobre-o-trabalho-na-atualidade/
  » http://nuevoblog.com/2020/09/19/0s-desafios-da-pesquisa-sobre-o-trabalho-na-atualidade/
• Pereira, J. L., Filho. (2020). O futuro do trabalho e novos modelos de gestão de pessoas (Tese de doutorado, FGV - EAESP).
• Zago, M. A. (2020). O Estado de S. Paulo Entrevista. Recuperado de https://sustentabilidade.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,mundo-gira-por-causa-do-progresso-cientifico-diz-presidente-da-fapesp,70003445941
  » https://sustentabilidade.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,mundo-gira-por-causa-do-progresso-cientifico-diz-presidente-da-fapesp,70003445941

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  06 Nov 2020
• Date of issue
  Sep-Oct 2020