The current world is absurd. Faced with climate change, health pandemics, and ever-growing inequality, it is striking how globally, governments and organizations are malingering to find effective responses to these crises, leading to absurd situations where we are facing the destruction of the planet, while humankind is not making the necessary transformation towards truly sustainable societies and workplaces. Focusing on these grand, global challenges from an absurdity and hypernormalization lens, the book aims to elucidate what is happening in contemporary society and workplaces, why there is so little improvement being made in relation to the grand global challenges, and how a more sustainable social transformation can be made in organizations. It offers a wide, yet in-depth, perspective on absurdity in society and the workplace and presents a theoretical framework, as well as in-depth case studies of sectors or organizations where absurdity manifests itself. Presenting an overarching new perspective on society and workplaces, this book helps students and academics make sense of what is currently unfolding, and what can be done. The book therefore bridges theory, science and the everyday practice of organizational life, and how individuals working in a variety of organizations can contribute to more sustainable economies and societies.

This book focuses on the aging workforce from the employment relationship perspective. This innovative book specifically focuses on how organizations can ensure their aging workers remain motivated, productive and healthy. In 15 chapters, several experts on this topic describe how organizations through effective human resource management can ensure that workers are able to continue working at higher age. In addition, this book discusses the role older workers themselves play in continuing work at higher age. To do this, the authors integrate research from different areas, such as literature on leadership, psychological contracts and diversity with literature on the aging workforce. Through this integration this book provides innovative ways for organizations and workers to maintain productivity, motivation and health. Aging Workers and the Employee-Employer Relationship summarizes the latest research on how employment relationships change with age and its implications for supporting the well-being, motivation and productivity of older workers. It identifies ways to improve how both companies and workers solve the problems they face. These include better designed employment practices and more adaptive job content and developmental opportunities for aging workers along with activities aging workers can engage to enhance their own job crafting, learning and employability.

Examining the experiences of Africans setting up businesses back home, the main focus of this book is to establish the economic, social and psychological reasons for such 'home direct investment'. Despite the personal sacrifices that are often needed in order to set up new ventures, the diaspora invests relentless effort and motivations in the pursuit of home ventures. The authors explore critical areas such as the social and psychological pressures that African Diasporas experience when investing in their home countries, as well as the management of diaspora businesses and the impact of such investment to local economies.

Introducing a theory of workplace dignity into the field of management studies, this innovative new book presents an alternative paradigm based on principles of human dignity which is integrated into a theoretical approach to the topic. The author addresses and analyses the causes and consequences of the dominant political-economic paradigm within management studies. Further, it presents a theoretical alternative which can constitute a foundation for a new way of thinking about organisations, management, and leadership. Dignity in the Workplace offers scholars ideas for how research in the field of management studies may be enriched by a dignity-paradigm, and goes further to explore the role of a dignity-paradigm in the function of HR-managers and organisational leaders. Thus, the book aims to contribute to the need for alternative conceptualisations of how contemporary organisations can be managed.

Idiosyncratic deals, or i-deals, are the individualised working arrangements negotiated by employees with the organizations for which they work. Such deals represent an emerging area of study into the effects they have on both parties, as well as co-workers and the wider working world. Do i-deals signify a further breakdown of collectivism within the workplace, or should they be seen as empowering to those employees able to find themselves the best deal? Is the growth of i-deals an inevitable response to the need for more flexible working relationships, or do they erode concepts of equality and fairness? In this important new collection, i-deals are discussed from a comprehensive range of viewpoints. The book examines how i-deals alter the psychological relationship between employee and employer, as well as the notion of career development in an aging and technologically literate workforce. The issue of group relationships is also discussed, in relation to leadership theories, organizational justice and perceived fairness. Finally, the impact on organizational and individual effectiveness is assessed. Are i-deals a good thing for employers looking to maximise productivity within an organization? Do employees work more effectively and efficiently as a consequence of i-deals? Very much a hot topic, this volume represents a key contribution in the area of i-deals from the most active researchers in the field. It will be important reading for all students of work and organizational psychology, human resource management and business management.

Examining the experiences of Africans setting up businesses back home, the main focus of this book is to establish the economic, social and psychological reasons for such 'home direct investment'. Despite the personal sacrifices that are often needed in order to set up new ventures, the diaspora invests relentless effort and motivations in the pursuit of home ventures. The authors explore critical areas such as the social and psychological pressures that African Diasporas experience when investing in their home countries, as well as the management of diaspora businesses and the impact of such investment to local economies.

This book focuses on the aging workforce from the employment relationship perspective. This innovative book specifically focuses on how organizations can ensure their aging workers remain motivated, productive and healthy. In 15 chapters, several experts on this topic describe how organizations through effective human resource management can ensure that workers are able to continue working at higher age. In addition, this book discusses the role older workers themselves play in continuing work at higher age. To do this, the authors integrate research from different areas, such as literature on leadership, psychological contracts and diversity with literature on the aging workforce. Through this integration this book provides innovative ways for organizations and workers to maintain productivity, motivation and health. Aging Workers and the Employee-Employer Relationship summarizes the latest research on how employment relationships change with age and its implications for supporting the well-being, motivation and productivity of older workers. It identifies ways to improve how both companies and workers solve the problems they face. These include better designed employment practices and more adaptive job content and developmental opportunities for aging workers along with activities aging workers can engage to enhance their own job crafting, learning and employability.

Idiosyncratic deals, or i-deals, are the individualised working arrangements negotiated by employees with the organizations for which they work. Such deals represent an emerging area of study into the effects they have on both parties, as well as co-workers and the wider working world. Do i-deals signify a further breakdown of collectivism within the workplace, or should they be seen as empowering to those employees able to find themselves the best deal? Is the growth of i-deals an inevitable response to the need for more flexible working relationships, or do they erode concepts of equality and fairness? In this important new collection, i-deals are discussed from a comprehensive range of viewpoints. The book examines how i-deals alter the psychological relationship between employee and employer, as well as the notion of career development in an aging and technologically literate workforce. The issue of group relationships is also discussed, in relation to leadership theories, organizational justice and perceived fairness. Finally, the impact on organizational and individual effectiveness is assessed. Are i-deals a good thing for employers looking to maximise productivity within an organization? Do employees work more effectively and efficiently as a consequence of i-deals? Very much a hot topic, this volume represents a key contribution in the area of i-deals from the most active researchers in the field. It will be important reading for all students of work and organizational psychology, human resource management and business management.