With over 110 episodes in our catalogue, we decided it was time to take a step back and revisit one of our earlier episodes that continues to come up time and again. Episode 34, covering Trist & Bamforth’s study on the longwall method of coal-getting, was referenced in sixteen (16) episodes since its release. That is more than any other episode!

We released that episode back in 2017, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies, and other developments have started reshaping social relations across the world since. So, we decided to go back and revisit both the episode and the study itself. This throwback provided us with a chance to re-examine our assumptions and understandings about what happened in the coal industry when a new work technology led to the disintegration of social structures keeping the communities together and the emergence of conflict between team members, thus reducing of worker performance and unexpectedly elevating workplace stress and turnover.

The resulting framework, that of sociotechnical systems, would become a cornerstone in much subsequent organization scholarship—as well as many of our episodes. These include discussions on hierarchies and promotion (112), neo-institutionalism (107), innovation (73 & 98), public administration (89), job design (71), emotions in the workplace (88), and power & influence at work (61). With such a broad legacy, Trist & Bamforth’s study remains one of the great classics of organization theory.This episode re-releases the original Parts 1 and 2 of the episode, supplemented with a new conversation between Pedro and Tom to advance the conversation seven years later. The supplement has been re-recorded and updated, and a new sidecast is available about using Trist & Bamforth as the basis for educating professionals.

You may also download the audio files here:  Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Bonus | Teaser 

Read with us:

Trist, E.L. and Bamforth, K.W., 1951. Some social and psychological consequences of the Longwall Method of coal-getting: An examination of the psychological situation and defences of a work group in relation to the social structure and technological content of the work system. Human relations, 4(1), 3-38.

To Learn More:

Ziegenfuss, J. T. (2002). Organization and management problem solving: A systems and consulting approach. Sage.

Other Talking About Organizations Podcast episodes referenced:

Episode 112. Hierarchies & Promotion — The “Peter Principle”

Episode 107. Institutionalized Rules and Formal Structure — Goffman

Episode 98. Managing Innovation — Burns & Stalker

Episode 89. Administrative Behavior in Public Sector — Herbert Kaufman

Episode 88. Social Defenses Against Anxiety — Isabel Menzies

Episode 73. Organizing Innovation — Michael Tushman

Episode 71. Managerial Behavior — Melville Dalton

Episode 61. Power & Influence in Organizations — Dan Brass