Introduction: Taking Bourdieu further into studies of Organizations and Management

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the pressures imposed on managers and staff resulting from the ideological purchase of neoliberal ideas by nation-states. It also discusses the new institutions and Bourdieu’s field theory. The book analyses the importance of social capital in the form of ‘wasta’ in the context of the insurance sector in Jordan, as a resource for employment and career advancement. It deals with how professional fields, in change and transition, have become contested due to ongoing struggles over legitimate forms of capital, and the consequences this might have on the habitus of individuals/professionals within the field. The book focuses on the emerging health promotion strategies within work organizations, related to developments in the wider field, which can be associated with improved working conditions and welfare, yet it may also result in bodily performance pressures imposed on staff.