Transcript Globalization, Cities and the Rise of Global Work

Globalization, Cities and the Rise of
Global Work
14th GaWC Annual Lecture
Department of Geography
University of Loughborough
25 May 2012
Andrew Jones
Birkbeck, University of London
Global Cities – the very idea…
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“the space of the global city is not marked by
headquarters…For me the space of the global city is its
productivity, it has to do with the capacities that it can
bring together and we're talking about networked subeconomies”
(Saskia Sassen, GaWC Annual Lecture 1999)
Preamble
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Sassen (1991) ‘ The Global City’ - 4 functions:
 (i) command point;
 (ii) site of production
 (iii) market
 (iv) innovation site
Sassen (2001) & Castells (2009): global cities as networked places
Taylor & GaWC connectivity of the tertiary economy in this
networked space
Two questions/ issues have been focus of global city work:
 Networked hierarchies (where is important)
 Spatial connectivity ( how linkages are important)
 Today: reconsider this way of thinking around what
(economic) actors do (practices) that makes cities ‘global’
1) Introduction
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Global city idea now over 20 years old
Tensions: an economic, social or urban theory?
2012: debate moved back to world cities, rise of new global East
global cities
Geographical question: how much do we prioritise global city as
a place?
 as opposed to a site of ‘flow’?
 or a network ‘node’?
Today: address these questions with a modest re-evaluation of
significance of the ‘place’ in global economic development
Aim: open up some wider questions about our
conceptualizations (or ‘epistemology’) of ‘global cities’
Also illustrate this with research into the complex development
of global labour markets
This lecture
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Revisit the development of ‘global city’ theories
Examine alternative ‘globalizations’ of the global city
 Where does the ‘globality ‘of global cities stop & start
 Reemphasise importance of temporality, as well as social
cultural dimensions to global city globalization
Illustrate argument in relation to global economic practices:
concept of ‘global work’
Outline case study: international youth volunteering & linkage
‘global corporate work’
Draw some specific & more general conclusions
2) Global city theories: a reevaluation
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GaWc work famously mapped firm (& other) connections
between cities
Connectivity measured by transactions, contracts, firm
subsidiaries, movements of workers
Network concept: tension between node and linkage
BUT other issues in original global city debates: social, cultural,
political…
Research here become increasingly integrated into urban studies
more generally, but lost focus key conceptions of global city
debate
Important: global city as spatio-temporal, rather than spatialities
(Sassen 1999, here!)
3) Revisiting other globalizations
of the Global City
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Reconnect different dimensions to global city debate
Tentative reconceptualisation of how we understand significance of
global cities
Bridge between concepts of global cities in ‘network hierarchies’
(Taylor et al) as opposed ‘places’ (Massey)
Argue two neglected dimensions in dominant GaWc approach
 Sociality (arena of social practice)
 Temporality (evolutionary spaces)
Illustrate today through ‘global elite’ workforce development
Link literatures on global city labour markets, mobility, executive
education & corporate working practices( Faulconbridge & Muzio
2009; Beaverstock 2010; Beaverstock & Hall 2012)
Useful: concept of ‘global work’
Three Key Contentions
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1) Work as an activity & experience in all sectors is
becoming increasingly multiscalar, and permeated by
distanciated relations (after Amin / Held / Giddens)
2) Globalization is transforming many kinds of work
activities (low / high paid; skilled / unskilled)
3) Global work is therefore something we all increasingly
‘do’, albeit in different ways
3) Global Work
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Globalization has led to transformation in nature of work (formal &
informal) -‘global work’ (c.f. Jones 2008)
 New & important transformation linked to the wider globalization
of economy & society
Five major aspects:
1) Work increasingly bound into ‘distanciated’ relations
 a practice bound into distant actors, places and relations
2) Scalar transformation in the embodied practices that constitute work
 New forms of mobility, business travel, secondment schemes
3) Experience of ‘doing’ work is changing
 global relations increasingly shape everyday practices of work
4) Changed nature of power relations workers are entangled in
 Work increasingly bound into complex multi-scalar and inter/intra
organizational relationships
5) Nature of workplaces changing
 More than just physical places: virtual, organizational & social
spaces
4) Global City / Non City
Workspaces
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Global work approach: led to re-valuation of existing accounts of
global city labour markets
Jones (2002) argued Sassen’s command & control practices more
diffuse across global city network
BUT now argue that understandings of how global cities are ‘sites’ of
global economic practice needs development
Globalness of city space bound into array of past and present global
(or ‘distanciated’) relationships
What Sassens’ TNC Head Office & corporate workers are ‘doing’
linked to many different places and times
Global city as a place is being constantly (re)made through linkages to
other places / times (c.f. Murphy 2011)
Not just linkages to other cities, but many spaces
Illustrate this through a (maybe) unlikely example: international youth
volunteering
5) International Youth Volunteering:
training for global corporate work
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Recent research into IYV placements & their outcomes
2 strands of data
1) Focus groups (15), qualitative interviews (150+) with 5 types of IYV
projects (& secondary sources)
7 countries from late 2004 to 2009, volunteer projects:
 e.g. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Vietnam, Tanzania,
Guatemala, Japan)
 Environmental Projects (Tanzania, Australia, Belize)
 Children Summer Camps (US, Germany, Australia)
 Community Projects (Vietnam, Mexico, Tanzania, Guatemala)
Important: graduate track volunteers embedded in UB degree
2) HR managers & corporate recruiters (2010)
 Mainly London-based blue chip firms in range of sectors
 Interviews discussed value of gap year & voluntary work
 Also secondary sources: corporate reports & graduate recruitment
literature
Argument: IYV & Global Professional Labour
Markets
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Research covers range of issue, but will focus today on professional
labour market aspects
Key arguments:
 1) IYV cannot be reduced to any of the stereotypes currently in
circulation (not pure leisure for many)
 2) Whilst negatives exist, evidence suggests a transformative
experience that shapes sense of knowledge, intercultural
understanding, skills, global consciousness & career choices
 3) IYV bound into complex rationales by young people about
future life (work) choices
 4) Employer v aware of this, esp. in context of ongoing corporate
globalization & need for ‘global professionals’
 5) Global city work central to experience of IYV: location, hub,
environment
Dimension I: Knowledge & Cultural Understanding
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Employers value the broad range of experiential knowledge:
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I think the advantage that an applicant with that kind of experience [IYV] has is knowledge of
what it is like to work in a foreign environment, a foreign country, and all the lessons that that
entails…the little things like how to deal with everyday life when you don’t speak the language,
or know what to do about medical services, or that you need to behave in a certain way in a
foreign country when meeting work colleagues…”
(Recruitment Manager, EU Pharmaceutical Company, London)
Young volunteers were forced to learn in an unfamiliar, ad hoc and unprepared
way:
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“The fact these young people have coped abroad, perhaps in Africa or somewhere challenging is
important…. My impression, if I’m honest, is many of these work experiences are pretty
disorganised…I know the outfits that do those kind of things would probably resent that kind of
statement, but I think it is true…. But the point is as graduates, we know the people who have
been able to adapt from that, to learn things from that disorganization if you like…you know, a
lot of working life is like that if you are someone who has to travel…”
(Graduate Recruiter, EU Company3, Paris)
Dimension II: ‘Corporate Skills & Capacities’
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Overseas volunteers gained many skills employer’s value but which universities
struggle to teach:
 “A good gap year experience is invaluable…where people have been challenged, taken out
of the comfort zone…they learn a lot of intangibles – getting on with people, organising
themselves, self-discipline” (Manager, Human Resources, UK Company1)
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“the main thing is confidence in being so far from home, in different country…at school I
would say I wasn’t that kind of person [confident], and spending 9 months in Tanzania
had to deal with people…loads of problems, it is hard to describe how much that has
changed what I feel I can do…I definitely think that’s relevant to when I eventually want
to get a job”
(Jo, 19, Teaching Placement, Tanzania)
Capacities related to cultural sensitivity are particularly valued:
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“It is about being able to apply knowledge, if you boil it down…my view is that, definitely,
it is about knowing how to engage with another culture…realising that not only do you
have to work differently, take account of another culture’s values, but also adapt whatever
it is the job entails to that context…so having these experiences [international
volunteering] we think is invaluable in beginning that learning” [HR Manager, UK
Retail Company (Apparel)]
C) Dimension III: ‘Global Consciousness, Values
& Identity
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Evidence suggest many volunteers have transformed perspective &
‘loose global consciousness’:
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Enhanced understanding of the host country context:
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“I have learnt loads about the people here, and a lot about what teaching involves…but, the culture is
so different, and it when we first got here, we had all these stereotypes…they’re like…completely gone.
I know so much now I would have no idea about if I hadn’t done this.” (Paul, 22, School
Placement, Ho Chi Minh)
“Definitely important is some sense in them [graduate recruits] that the mission of the company is of
wider general benefit…, not like we’re saving the world, of course…but I mean in terms of
internationalising the business, we bring products, contribute to rising living standards and so on…
they don’t have to be zealots or anything, but if they’ve been overseas… I think they will understand
and have some sympathy…” [HR Manager, EU Food Products firm [paraphrased],
London]
Sense of ability / desire to intervene:
“Being here has…changed my whole view of the world, I think…you just see things
differently…understand how the local here see thing from Mexico, from Central America. I feel part of
a bigger community I guess …” (Alex, 19, Community Project, Mexico City) [paraphrased]
D) Dimension IV: ‘Global Career Choices’
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Volunteering experience is formative in relation to career:
 “I am thinking about working for a charity or in development now. I always used to think
I wanted to be in fashion…after being here, I would definitely look to work in Latin
America...”
 (Ali, [F] 19, Community Project, Belize)
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Awareness of international career relevance:
 “Definitely I think this will help with a job…although I have no idea yet, maybe in
business, or law or something. I think the travel gives you something companies want”
(Sarah, 21, Teaching assistant, Summer Camp, near Melbourne, Australia)
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International dimension important, but many in professional contexts:
 It has changed my view. I would definitely want to work abroad after Uni, maybe in
Africa. I had thought I wanted a financial kind of job so maybe one that let’s me travel”
(Anna, 20, Environmental Project, Tanzania)
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“I know from this placement I don’t want to teach… it’s not me. But have I have enjoyed
being in Asia, and I would absolutely like to work here properly some time in the future.”
(Jack, 19, Teaching Placement, Hannoi)
Concluding Possibilities
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Key argument: global city theories focusing on corporate
networks tell only part of the story of global city’s role in
globalization
Globalization in 21st century deepening in terms of social, cultural
integration across global city network
Sassen’s point about the capacities that global cities bring together
needs much more research focus
Capacities of global city linked to global labour market development:
more substantial, more entwined and more complex
 Global workers
 Global work
 Global careers
Global cities enrolling multiple other places & times as sites of global
integration
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Embedded still in distanciated practices and linkages with past forms
of global work that inform their current work for global organizations
IYV: experience global city network as global worker trainees, as
tourists & as travellers
 people I interviewed now global city corporate workers themselves
IYV part of wider mobile global workforce including far more than
corporate employees: third sector workers, aid workers, travellers,
volunteers, working tourists…
Global cities, especially lower tier ones in global South play key role in
shaping understanding, aspiration & capacities of these potential global
workers
Corporate recruiters recognise the importance of this training /
acculturization experience
Global labour market development becoming integrated across time
and space, will itself in future shape nature of firms, cities and culture
Some thoughts: how engagement with other dimensions of global city
globalization (e.g. work practices) might shape future research