| A key element of the transformation process in post-socialist countries is the redefinition of the role of the firm. Prior to 1989, socialist firms performed important social policy functions that in the Western countries are the sole responsibility of the government. This redefinition involves separating the social and economic functions of the firm, in order to focus the firm's mission on economic performance.;Privatization facilitates the evolution of the firm into an exclusively economic entity. The actual evolution, however, occurs through turbulent conflicts, and formal and informal labor-management negotiations that crystallize points of view on the part of both workers and managers regarding the 'proper' balance between economic functions, social justice, and work relations. This dissertation focuses on the processes through which these varying points of view take shape of managerial ideologies.;Managerial ideologies are seen to be based on prevailing notions of citizenship, and as such they pertain both to the sphere of production and the realm of the state. Accordingly, their formation can be described as the process of defining workers' rights that are compatible with the requirements of firms now operating in a market environment.;This process is analyzed through case studies of five Polish large industrial firms at varying stages of privatization: (1) A state-owned coal mine; (2) A partially privatized producer of power-equipment; (3) A newly-privatized manufacturer of packaging for the food-processing industry; (4) A garment-producer adopting an employee-ownership scheme; (5) A private, fully-reformed producer of rubber components for the automotive industry.;This dissertation traces the process of negotiation and the evolving attitudes of workers and managers, linking the debates on privatization to the outcomes in each case. In every case, significant changes in citizenship rights and in expectations about the role of the firm are found. The course of these changes does not follow a predictable path. |
