Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news
that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases,
staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows. Even when the change
has happened, problems emerge when the boss who was hired to manage
"from above" has to learn about the organization "from below."
In this book, Niklas Luhmann scrutinizes the relationship and shows how
it is stretched to its limit by communication difficulties, demands for
self-presentation, and disagreements concerning fundamental values. Many
of the tensions crystallize around the question "who has the power?" It
isn't necessarily the boss, provided the employees are well versed in
the art of directing their superiors. "Subtervision" is Luhmann's term
for this state of affairs, and tact is the most important means to this
end. Yet caution is advised: whoever achieves mastery in subtervision
may well become the new boss.
This slim and thought-provoking book from one of the most influential
sociologists of the twentieth century will be of great interest to
anyone seeking to understand the dynamics and machinations of the
workplace.
