I-deals: Idiosyncratic Deals Employees Bargain for Themselves
Denise Rousseau, H. J. Heinz II Professor of Organization Behavior, challenges the traditional notion that standardization is the way to create workplace justice in her new book, I-deals: Idiosyncratic Deals Employees Bargain for Themselves. Instead, employees with valuable skills and a sense of their own worth can make their jobs, pay, perks, and career opportunities different from those of their coworkers in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
Personally negotiated arrangements like flexible hours, special projects, or telecommuting, can be a valuable source of flexibility and personal satisfaction, but at the risk of creating inequality and resentment by other employees. Rousseau explains how such individual arrangements can be made fair and acceptable to coworkers, and beneficial to both the employee and the employer.
Rousseau was 2004-2005 President of the Academy of Management, and is Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Organizational Behavior. Her research focuses on the changing psychological contract in employment, human resource strategies, and the effects of organizational culture on performance. She has been a recipient of the William A. Davis Award for scholarly research in educational administration and the National Institute for Health Care Management research award. She is an elected Fellow in the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, and the Academy of Management.