how it should be researched, while at the same time the practice of HRM remains
ambiguous and variable. This means that managers can use the language of HRM
to establish the legitimacy of their practices, even if the latter bear little resemblance
to the former. Less cynically, perhaps the key appeal of HRM lies in its optimism
about the capacity of capitalism to become more humanistic. We share many of the
goals, but part company on analysis and agency. Gramsci’s nostrum—pessimism of
the intellect, optimism of the will—remains the best starting point for confronting
the possibilities of workplace reform.
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