The Isolated Professional: Conflict, Fragmentation and Overload in UK Financial Services

Workplaces are often fraught with conflict and disagreement. Contrary to the views of many mainstream authors writing for the core disciplines of business and management (such as organizational behaviour, human resource management, and information systems), conflict cannot easily be nullified, minimized or eradicated by the adoption of managerial ‘best practice’ (Ackroyd and Thompson 1999). Edwards’ phrase (1979) of the ‘Contested Terrain’ of work remains as apt today as ever. Conflict between management and labour is obviously a central workplace faultline emphasized by many theoretical traditions, notably by Marxist labour process theory (Braverman 1974/1998; Edwards 1979; Burawoy 1979; Thompson and Warhurst 1998; Thompson 2003).