Access provided by Stanford University []
Browse Book and Journal Content on Project MUSE
OR
Browse > Social Sciences
title

The Company We Keep

Occupational Community in the High-Tech Network Society

Daniel Marschall

Publication Year: 2012

<DIV><P>At the birth of the Internet Age, computer technologists in small, aggressive software development companies became part of a unique networked occupational community. They were creative, team-oriented, and enthusiastic workers who built &quot;boundaryless careers,&quot; hopping from one employer to another.<BR><BR>In his absorbing ethnography <I>The Company We Keep</I>, sociologist Daniel Marschall immerses himself in IntenSivity, one such technological workplace. Chronicling the employees' experiences, Marschall examines how these workers characterize their occupational culture, share values and work practices, and help one another within their community. He sheds light on the nature of this industry marked by highly skilled jobs and rapid technological change.<BR><BR>The experiences at IntenSivity are now mirrored by employees at Facebook and thousands of other cutting-edge, high-tech start-up firms. <I>The Company We Keep</I> helps us understand the emergence of virtual work communities and the character of the contemporary labor market at the level of a small enterprise.</P></DIV>

Published by: Temple University Press

Cover

pdf iconDownload PDF (57.1 KB)
 

Title Page, Copyright

pdf iconDownload PDF (35.2 KB)
pp. iii-iv

Contents

pdf iconDownload PDF (22.4 KB)
p. v-v

read more

Acknowledgments

pdf iconDownload PDF (40.2 KB)
pp. vii-ix

This book is based on five years of in-depth ethnographic research, during the period of the Internet stock bubble and shortly after its collapse, at a small software development firm in the labor market region surrounding Washington, DC. When conducting an ...

read more

Prologue First Encounters of a Techie Kind

pdf iconDownload PDF (55.0 KB)
pp. 1-8

Though steadily receding in our collective memory, the period of the technology bubble that preceded the housing bubble that burst into the Great Recession retains its standing as a time of remarkable prosperity for the U.S. economy. For eight consecutive years, ...

read more

1. Network Society and Occupational Community

pdf iconDownload PDF (109.3 KB)
pp. 9-36

Once the U.S. Congress completes its deliberations and the humidity rises to barely tolerable levels, the summer months in the regional labor market surrounding Washington, DC, are generally uneventful, a good time for contemplation, vacation, and ...

read more

2. Setting: A “Monster Soft Dev Shop” in Silicon Swamp

pdf iconDownload PDF (69.7 KB)
pp. 37-50

IntenSivity emerged during a period of rapid change in regional economic structures and the widespread diffusion of the Internet as a popular communication medium. This chapter contextualizes the company’s growth by recounting pertinent dynamics of the Internet ...

read more

3. Constructing Occupational Identity

pdf iconDownload PDF (118.5 KB)
pp. 51-81

Conceptualizing computer programming as a fun and all-consuming activity best practiced by talented intellectuals, IntenSivity’s founders sought to establish the sort of organization in which they would enjoy working. This chapter demonstrates the ...

read more

4. Forging Bonds on Projects and Products

pdf iconDownload PDF (112.7 KB)
pp. 83-111

During my early fieldwork visits to the neighborhood offices, I noticed that no one seemed to have a stable office location. After more than 20 years in various service-sector jobs in nonprofit associations, government agencies, and union organizations, ...

read more

5. Language and the Persistence of Community

pdf iconDownload PDF (127.0 KB)
pp. 113-144

From the outset, Vince and Adam accorded enhanced communication a paramount role in conceptualizing the company’s ideology, core values, founding story, approach to projects, and product development methodology. Externally, beyond the boundaries of the ...

read more

Epilogue: Remembering the “Wild Ride” . . . and What Happened to Its Participants

pdf iconDownload PDF (59.5 KB)
pp. 145-154

During the 10 years that followed the beginning of my research (in early 2000) on this shifting community of computer technologists, the public spotlight on software developers and the Internet infrastructure they created underwent several important shifts, ...

Notes

pdf iconDownload PDF (79.8 KB)
pp. 155-170

References

pdf iconDownload PDF (68.1 KB)
pp. 171-184

Index

pdf iconDownload PDF (53.5 KB)
pp. 185-192

About the Author

pdf iconDownload PDF (16.0 KB)
p. 193-193


E-ISBN-13: 9781439907573
Print-ISBN-13: 9781439907559

Page Count: 204
Illustrations: 7
Publication Year: 2012

Research Areas

Recommend

UPCC logo

Subject Headings

  • Occupations -- Sociological aspects -- Case studies.
  • Group identity -- Case studies.
  • Organizational behavior -- Case studies.
  • Business networks -- Social aspects -- Case studies.
  • Internet industry -- Employees -- Case studies.
  • Industrial sociology -- Case studies.
  • You have access to this content
  • Free sample
  • Open Access
  • Restricted Access

Welcome to Project MUSE

Use the Search box at the top of the page to find book and journal content. Refine results with the filtering options on the left side of the results page. Use the Browse box to browse a selection of books and journals.

Connect with Project MUSE

Project MUSE | 2715 North Charles Street | Baltimore, Maryland USA 21218 | (410) 516-6989 | About | Contact | Help | Tools | Order

©2013 Project MUSE. Produced by The Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Milton S. Eisenhower Library.