Review of Job horizons

Abstract

Reviews the book, "Job horizons," by Lloyd G. Reynolds and Joseph Shister (see record 1949-02952-000 ). This is a descriptive report to lay readers issued by the Labor and Management Center of Yale University. It is concerned with causes of labor mobility or immobility as given to fifteen interviewers by 800 manual workers in a New England manufacturing city in 1947. As a research report, even for the general public, this book is deficient in several ways. Unwarranted generalizations and conclusions seem to have been made, and the book has no index or bibliography. Many of the findings which appear revelationary to the economistauthors will be considered commonplace by psychologists. No reference is made to other work in the field of worker motivation, job satisfaction, or job preferences. Many of these other researches, apparently conducted with care equal to this one, conflict with some of the findings reported here. Neither such conflicts (nor the agreements) are mentioned. This is unfortunate for the lay as well as technically trained reader. The book frequently refers to "workers." It is to be regretted that the more restricted "manual workers" was not invariably used to prevent the reader from over generalization. Nevertheless, this small book is fascinating reading, and is packed with interesting facts and views. Few readers will finish the book without mental stimulation and new ideas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)