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Abstract
The recent privatization process typical of the majority of Israeli kibbutzim
has resulted from organizational difficulties and economic losses. For the
Newplast factory of Kibbutz Sadot (assumed names), the appointment of a
general manager from outside the ranks of kibbutz members accelerated the
inevitable processes of change: the collectivist culture that had previously
favored kibbutz members evolved into a business culture that left no room
for any sense of obligation towards individuals. Nevertheless, the new
management has adopted a dual-value system wherein it runs the factory on
capitalistic lines but fosters the image of the factory as a “home” to which
workers are expected to feel a primary and familial obligation.