J. WORKPLACE RIGHTS, Vol. 17(3-4) 443-466, 2013-2014 CONSTRUCTION WORK: EVOLVING DISCOURSES OF THE “WORKER” IN MANAGEMENT TEXTBOOKS, 1920s TO THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21ST JASON FOSTER Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada ALBERT J. MILLS Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore and critically evaluate how the con- cept of “worker” is produced in management textbooks. In other words, we seek to reveal hitherto underanalyzed discourses regarding workers and the employment relationship. Further, we seek to track the evolution of these discourses over time, linking the evolving construction of the worker to shifts in the political, economic, and social context in which the textbooks were created. Adopting the theory and method of critical discourse analysis, our analysis will reveal the underlying power relations at play within the text, as well as their consequences for education in management and organization studies (MOS). INTRODUCTION Anyone with the slightest familiarity with business school curricula is aware that large numbers of management courses address the human elements of organ- ization. The subject is variously referred to as “human relations,” “human resources,” “labour relations,” and “employee relations,” or given other, related names. Regardless of the name, at its core is the management of “workers.” Therefore the worker becomes a central concept in management studies. It is important to note, then, that when teaching about workers, business educators not 443 Ó 2014, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/WR.17.3-4.l http://baywood.com