Greenfield sites: Purpose, potential and pitfalls

Abstract

In recent years there has been considerable discussion and debate about the degree of transformation in Australian industrial relations and the introduction of new human resource management practices. Much of this change, practitioners and researchers suggest, can be achieved at greenfield sites. With the importance of greenfield sites in mind, this paper considers the purpose, potential and pitfalls of greenfield sites in relation to human resource management and industrial relations at three Australian greenfield sites. The evidence suggests that while greenfield sites do have the potential to play an important role in developing and transforming human resource management and industrial relations, this process requires constant care and consideration before the outcomes are properly embedded and can be transferred across the whole spectrum of Australian workplaces.