Employee rights and organizational forms: An integrative framework for research

Abstract

The goal of this study is to stimulate thought and provide initial direction for theory development and empirical investigation in regard to proposed linkages between employee rights concerns in the work environment and organizational forms. A review of pertinent literature on the subjects of organizational forms and employee rights is presented, in which a summary and critique of the current state of theory and research is emphasized in relation to those components of the two subject areas that are most relevant to the aims of the study. Following this review, the article undertakes a synthesis and integration of existing work, bringing together two scholarly fields of inquiry that have not been incorporated previously, and providing suggestions to establish critical associations and fill conceptual gaps. In this respect, the study constitutes a “first step” in the development of an orientation that accentuates the complementarity of perspectives concerning employee rights and organizational forms.