Workplace Organization Research Articles

General Theory and Local Action: Experiences from the Quality of Working Life Movement

Quality of Working Life was a researcher-driven social movement culminating in the early 1980s. Its 1981 conference had some 2000 participants from research, management, unions, and government from about 30 countries. Their unifying idea was that the kind of workplace organization demonstrated in the Industrial Democracy Experiments had an emancipatory potential for democracy, productivity, and health in the workplace and beyond. A key question remained, however: how could this transformation take place on a large scale in society? There were different attempts within the movement at combining the general frameworks required to maintain societal significance and impact on the one hand, at the same time as creating relevant knowledge for the local context. After leaving the initial ambition of a universal theory, a turn toward purely local development work was again followed by a return to the general, not as the foundation of a general theory but as elements in a social movement.

The Application of 5S's Workplace Organization at an Egyptian Flexible Packaging Factory

The Application of 5S's Workplace Organization at an Egyptian Flexible Packaging Factory

Workplace Design Features, Job Satisfaction, and Organization Commitment

Of late, there has been growing awareness among organizations as to the importance of green issues. This article seeks to examine how workplace design features of a green building contribute to the formation of employee organization commitment (OCM) through better job satisfaction (JST) within employees. Based on a comprehensive literature review, a theoretical model was proposed for investigation. Three putative paths linking workspace (WSP) to JST, departmental space (DSP) to JST, and JST to OCM were then tested relying on a survey data of 356 employees collected from three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified companies, namely Indian Tobacco Company (ITC), Suzlon Energy Ltd, and Olympia Technology Park uses structural equation modeling (SEM) methodology as prescribed by Hair et al. Significant evidences were witnessed in support of all three purposed paths. The study drew data only from the green-certified organization. Future research should involve other green organization or larger sample of green building. The size and character of the sample were restricted by organizational constraints.

The development of indicators of good practice happy workplace organizations in Thailand

The purpose of this study was to develop indicators of good practice happy workplace organizations inThailand. This study employed both documentary analysis and interviewing in order to generate indicators based on the stakeholders’ perspectives. The findings revealed that indicators of good practice happy workplace organizations in Thailand consisted of three factors and seven indicators: input consisted of one indicator - leadership; process comprised of three indicators:organizational culture, work environment, and the operation of happy workplace organization; and outcome comprised of three indicators: individual outcomes; organizational outcomes; and the sustainability of happy workplace promotion. Interms of appropriateness, the majority of indicators of good practice happy workplace organizations in Thailand were evaluated in the highest level. Keywords: Indicators, good practice, happy workplace organization, healthy organization.

Family-friendly policies as an organizational support to overcome work-family conflict

The involvement of women at the workplace has often been related to work-family conflict. Work-family conflict is the amount of conflict an individual experiences whilst trying to adjust her jobs or career and home-life, whereby dual carrier women are faced with time pressures such as rush jobs and deadlines. In general, numerous studies done in the West and East have focused on the negative impacts of work on the family. In Malaysia, the increase of women in the workforce and families with dual work is a common phenomenon. Hence, the focus on developing women capital should be considered as one of the valuable human resource assets towards developing the nation. Based on this premise, the objective of the paper is to look at whether working time and organizational support contribute to work- family conflict. The data in this study was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings indicate that working time and work-family culture had a positive relationship with work-family conflict. Finally, the paper discusses various ways in which workplace organization can promote family- friendly policies in order to promote gender equality and enhance women capital in Malaysia.

From ‘unofficial militants’ to de facto joint workplace control: the development of the shop steward system at the port of Liverpool, 1967–1972

Prior to 1967, labour relations in the British dock industry had been characterised by casual employment, inter and intra-union conflict, frequent unofficial action and high strike occurrence. The Devlin Report and subsequent legislation decasualised employment in the industry and introduced official local shop steward systems. This article charts the evolution of local, post-Devlin, Registered Dock Worker (RDW) labour organisation at the port of Liverpool. A chronological approach to the major strikes and flash points will be accompanied by reflection on the historiography and theoretical perspectives relating to the form and nature of workplace mobilisation, ‘shop stewardism’ and labour organisation. The existing literature in this area focuses almost entirely on shop steward organisation in the manufacturing sector and emphasises the key role of leadership in the creation and maintenance of effective workplace organisation. However, the development of the shop steward movement at Liverpool docks was heavily contingent on historical traditions and conditions and was therefore not necessarily reliant on an elite stratum of politically conscious leader stewards to frame and direct grievance. The article concludes by comparing the existing literature with the evidence presented and questions whether those theoretical suppositions synonymous with shop floor and shop steward organisation in other industries are appropriate to the docks.

Workplace Hazards Faced by Nursing Assistants in the United States: A Focused Literature Review.

Nursing assistants (NAs) make up a large share of the healthcare provider workforce and their numbers are expected to grow. NAs are predominantly women who earn a low wage and report financial, work, and family demands. Working as a NA is hazardous; this manuscript specifically examines the biological/infectious, chemical, enviromechanical, physical and psychosocial hazards that appear in the literature to date. A focused search strategy was used to review literature about hazards that fell into each of the five aforementioned domains. While some hazards that were documented were clear, such as exposure to influenza because of close contact with patients (biological/infectious), or exposure to hazardous drugs (chemical), literature was limited. The majority of the literature we reviewed fell into the domain of psychosocial hazards and centered on stress from workplace organization issues (such as mandatory overtime, lack of managerial support, and feeling rushed). More research is needed to understand which hazards NAs identify as most concerning and tailored interventions are needed for risk mitigation.

An assessment of employer liability for workplace stress

PurposeThis study aims to examine workplace stress in a random sample of litigated cases heard in UK courts. The majority of claims related to clinical depression. The alleged causes of workplace stress most commonly cited in the litigation included excessive workload, followed by poor management practices; organisational, economic or technical changes; aggressive management style; and bullying by co-workers.Design/methodology/approachThe term claimant is used to refer to the worker who made the original complaint of workplace stress, and the term defendant refers to the employing organisation defending the claim. In an attempt to establish the number and type of claims brought forward, the population of individual case records relating to workplace stress was accessed electronically from a variety of legal databases.FindingsThe presence of effective workplace stress management policies were important interventions that played a particularly significant role in avoiding legal action and reducing employees’ detrimental experiences. A significant finding was that 94 per cent of the cases were found in favour of the employer as the defendant, and the implications of this for managerial practice are suggested. This analysis of 75 cases between 1992-2014 will shed valuable light on the nature of workplace stress claims heard in the courts and the likelihood of the claimant employee’s success in such cases.Research limitations/implicationsFurther work could be undertaken to examine the extent to which the legal framework could be regarded as encouraging a compensation culture and placing excessive burdens on employing organisations. This paper assesses the scope of liability for workplace stress through an analysis of some of the legal claims made and evaluates whether these sorts of fears are justified.Practical implicationsThese court cases are real scenarios in which various organisations faced civil action arising from workplace stress claims. The main contribution that this research makes to the existing body of literature on the subject is to discern the different contexts that led to litigation in these cases.Social implicationsResearchers have reported on the negative consequences associated with workplace stress, both for individuals and organisations (Cooper and Marshall, 1976). It has been recognised that employers have a duty, which is in many cases enforceable by law, to ensure that employees do not become ill (Michie, 2002). The aim of this paper is to analyse the legal record on litigation since 1992 and discuss how the findings inform the wider literature.Originality/valueWorkplace stress claims have been described as the “next growth area” in claims for psychiatric illness (Mullany and Handford, 1997; Elvin, 2008; Horsey and Rackley, 2009). Hugh Collins stated “owing to the limitations of the statutory compensatory scheme in the UK […] private law has been used to expand the range of protection against illness […] in the workplace” (Collins, 2003). To understand how court decisions are changing, the development of this body of law needs to be traced (Ivancevich et al., 1985).

Staff perceptions implementing interprofessional team-based behavioural healthcare

ABSTRACTThe US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in 2013 mandated a nationwide implementation of interprofessional team-based care in the general mental health setting and officially endorsed the collaborative care model in 2015 to guide the coordinated and anticipatory care to be delivered by these teams. Front-line clinic staff are major stakeholders whose practices are most directly affected by this implementation and may or may not view teams as useful or feasible for their practice. Our objective was to examine their perspectives on delivering team-to-patient care in order to understand what system-level efforts can best support the transition to such care from the more conventional provider-to-patient care. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with staff from general mental health clinics across three different VHA medical facilities. The interview questions focused on asking how care is organised and delivered at their clinic, their experiences in collaborating with other staff, and how the clinic handles changes. Four recurrent themes were identified: navigating workplace supervision, organisation, and role structures; continuing professional growth and relationships; delivering patient-focused care through education and connection to resources; and utilising information technology for communication and panel-based management. Quality improvement efforts were rarely discussed during the interviews. Our results indicate that staff’s endorsement of the implementation of interprofessional care teams in general mental health settings may be strengthened through associated efforts targeted at enhancing their experiences aligned to these emergent themes.

An Application of Lean Manufacturing Techniques in Paint Manufacturing Company: A Case Study

As a result of the recession in Saudi Arabia, the manufacturing companies start thinking to reduce the operational cost and increasing the productivity through lean manufacturing principles. This paper is focused on increasing the productivity of a paint manufacturing company through implementing some of the lean manufacturing techniques. First, Value stream mapping analysis carried on throughout the manufacturing process and the areas of improvements in the company has been identified using fishbone diagram. Second, Work Place Organization (5S), Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), Work Standardization and Kanban are the lean manufacturing techniques selected to solve different problems facing the company in these areas of improvements. A systematic approach of each technique implemented to measure its effect on the company productivity. It is observed that, applying (5S) and (SMED) techniques in the filling process decreased the changeover time by 59% and increased the daily productivity. Pareto chart recommended using work standardization in the charging process led to reduce the defects batches by 57%. Kanban system eliminated the shortages of semi-finish product and increased the output of the pre-weighing batches by 57%. In addition, overtime hours reduced by 77% and waste handling reduced by 85% and 53% for the non-hazardous and hazardous waste respectively

Innovation objectives as determinants of organizational innovations

This study analyzes the adoption of organizational innovations focusing on their drivers or objectives pursued. Complementarities of objectives and organizational innovations are considered together with a sectoral approach to evaluate differences between manufacturing and service industries. Based on the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), a canonical analysis is performed to allow the study of interrelationships among sets of multiple dependent variables (organizational innovations) and multiple predictor variables (objectives). Improving innovations skills is the most relevant objective in adopting any organizational innovation. Two objectives are closely related to innovations in workplace organization, namely reducing response time and cost (efficiency drivers). New business processes and external relations are more affected by desires to improve innovation skills and quality (intangible drivers). The results reveal similar behavior in manufacturing and service industries supporting the synthesis approach. Logit regressions confirm these findings.

Social trust, workplace organization, and the comparative advantage of nations

In this paper, I consider a specific channel through which trust between parties to an exchange can go on to affect nations’ comparative advantage in certain industries. My approach revolves around the autonomy that employers (principals) grant to workers (agents), which is a key feature of workplace organization. I hypothesize that social trust generates a comparative advantage in industries with more autonomous micro production environments. I employ individual-level data on work autonomy to construct a measure of the extent to which industries are characterized by autonomy in the production process. Results of a cross-country cross-industry analysis confirm that countries with higher levels of social trust have a comparative advantage in high-autonomy industries and vice versa. Results are robust to the possibility of reverse causality. The paper’s key contribution is to provide a link between the microeconomic literature on workplace organization and the comparative macroeconomic literature on social trust.

The Normativity of Work: Retrieving a Critical Craft Norm

ABSTRACTRecent social theory has begun to reconsider how the activity of work can contribute to well-being or autonomy under the right conditions. However, there is no consensus on what this contribution consists in, and so on precisely which normative principles should be marshalled to critique harmful or repressive forms of workplace organisation. This paper argues that Richard Sennett’s concept of work as craft provides a normative standard against which the organisation of work can be assessed, especially when explained within a broadly Aristotelian account of the conditions of human flourishing. More precisely, the paper argues that a craft norm can meet the standards of social critique within the Frankfurt School tradition of Critical Theory, as this tradition has been interpreted by Axel Honneth. Honneth himself now rejects craft norms as too utopian and parochial to inform Critical Theory under contemporary economic conditions. In reply, this paper uses sociological studies of call centre workers to illustrate how work motivated by craft ideals can be sustainable rather than utopian, and how craftsmanship can inform social critique across a wide variety of industries and management practices.

Changing the Climate: Staff Development Activities that Address the Real Issues, Communication in the Workplace

When large libraries are fortunate enough to have multiple departments where staff are assigned to carry out specific tasks within their unit, broader communication lines within the entire organization are often disconnected. This, in turn, creates a one-dimensional level of communication that often hampers the ability to have a collaborative and engaged work environment within the organization. These environments often result in work relationships that are compartmentalized, providing very little interaction across organizational departments. Transforming the workplace environment to a healthier climate that involves employee engagement and cross departmental communication, can be accomplished through the efforts of a staff development committee. This article examines the effect that an organized staff development committee has on changing the climate in a workplace where the lack of communication among employees is a barrier to creativity and productivity and is often the source of low morale. In addition, this article will provide sample activities and programs that can be used to address communication issues that occur due to compartmentalized environments within workplace organizations.

Gillison Aims to Expand Reach of APA Foundation

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Association NewsFull AccessGillison Aims to Expand Reach of APA FoundationAaron LevinAaron LevinSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:9 Dec 2016https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2016.12b19AbstractThe executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation brings extensive private and nonprofit sector experience to his new job.Daniel Gillison is a rarity in Washington, D.C.: a native who works in (or at least just across the Potomac River from) the city of his birth.Dan Gillison, who became the executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in June, is overseeing a strategic planning process to set goals for the Foundation's work for the next three to five years.Aaron LevinGillison came to APA in June as the new executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), the arm of APA that supports public education on mental illness and psychiatry, professional education of APA members, and research. He is building on a platform developed by his predecessor, Paul Burke, who retired in June after 10 years as head of the APAF. “I saw the move as an opportunity to give back and make a difference,” he told Psychiatric News.Gillison took a circuitous route to the APAF. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., on a tennis scholarship, studying political science, international relations, and communications. His first job out of college was a three-year stint as a reporter/cameraman for a Baton Rouge television station.From there he moved on to a career with Xerox in sales, human relations, and business development. He later worked for Sprint before shifting into the nonprofit world at the National Association of Counties.“We believe Dan’s track record and enthusiasm will go a long way in promoting the programs and mission of the Foundation,” said APAF Chair Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “Our members and the public will see a revitalized foundation in 2017. I am looking forward to seeing what he and his team will accomplish in the coming year.”One of his primary goals since coming to the APAF is increasing awareness and knowledge of the APAF among APA members. He and his staff have created a series of one-page information sheets to tell the stories of its four primary programs: The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, Typical or Troubled, the Stepping Up Initiative, and the Judges Leadership Initiative.The APAF also supports awards and fellowships that have served as the launching pad for numerous careers in psychiatry.“We want our members to know what the foundation is doing in their neighborhoods, whether that is in schools, the workplace, or faith-based organizations,” he said. “We want them to become advocates for the foundation’s work.”The APAF is responsible for 12 programs, 23 awards, and eight fellowships. Among them:Typical or Troubled trains teachers, coaches, and other school personnel to recognize the symptoms of mental illness in adolescents.The Stepping Up Initiative is creating a long-term movement to reduce the overrepresentation in American jails of people with mental illness.The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health reaches 10,000 companies to reduce stigma and ensure access to mental health care.The Judges’ and Psychiatrists’ Leadership Initiative trains criminal court judges to understand the symptoms of mental illness in the defendants who appear before them.The APAF also seeks to raise awareness among the public about the importance of mental health in general and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness while increasing the Foundation’s funding to support these efforts, he said. For that reason, he wants to add to the $2.3 million donated in 2016, diversify the APAF’s fundraising base, and increase the percentage of APA members who contribute.“We’re appreciative of the members who have given and hope to add to their numbers,” he said.In August, the Foundation hired a strategic planning firm to study its mission and current activities and help develop goals for the next three to five years. The plan will be presented to the APAF Board of Directors at its February 16, 2017, meeting.Gillison and his staff are already planning a big splash for APA’s 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego. Next year will mark the APAF’s 25th anniversary, an event to be marked by a gala at San Diego’s Wine and Culinary Institute. ■The website of the APAF is www.americanpsychiatricfoundation.org/. ISSUES NewArchived

Impact of the Japanese 5S management method on patients’ and caretakers’ satisfaction: a quasi-experimental study in Senegal

BackgroundThe 5S method is a lean management tool for workplace organization, with 5S being an abbreviation for five Japanese words that translate to English as Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. In Senegal, the 5S intervention program was implemented in 10 health centers in two regions between 2011 and 2014.ObjectiveTo identify the impact of the 5S intervention program on the satisfaction of clients (patients and caretakers) who visited the health centers.DesignA standardized 5S intervention protocol was implemented in the health centers using a quasi-experimental separate pre-post samples design (four intervention and three control health facilities). A questionnaire with 10 five-point Likert items was used to measure client satisfaction. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the intervention's effect on the client satisfaction scores, represented by an equally weighted average of the 10 Likert items (Cronbach's alpha=0.83). Additional regression analyses were conducted to identify the intervention's effect on the scores of each Likert item.ResultsBackward stepwise linear regression (n=1,928) indicated a statistically significant effect of the 5S intervention, represented by an increase of 0.19 points in the client satisfaction scores in the intervention group, 6 to 8 months after the intervention (p=0.014). Additional regression analyses showed significant score increases of 0.44 (p=0.002), 0.14 (p=0.002), 0.06 (p=0.019), and 0.17 (p=0.044) points on four items, which, respectively were healthcare staff members’ communication, explanations about illnesses or cases, and consultation duration, and clients’ overall satisfaction.ConclusionsThe 5S has the potential to improve client satisfaction at resource-poor health facilities and could therefore be recommended as a strategic option for improving the quality of healthcare service in low- and middle-income countries. To explore more effective intervention modalities, further studies need to address the mechanisms by which 5S leads to attitude changes in healthcare staff.

Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety for a Gas Meter Manufacturing Plant

This study investigates the occupational health and safety for a gas meter manufacturing plant. The risk assessment and management study is applied to plastic injection and mounting departments of the factory through quantitative Fine Kinney method and the effect of adopting 5S workplace organization procedure on risk assessment is examined. The risk assessment reveals that there are 17 risks involved; 14 grouped in high risk class (immediate improvement as required action); 2 in significant (measures to be taken as required action) and one in possible risk class (monitoring as required action). Among 14 high risks, 4 can be reduced by 83 % to be grouped under possible class when 5S is applied. One significant risk is observed to be lowered by 78 % and considered as possible risk due to the application of 5S. As a result of either 67 or 50 % reductions in 7 high risks, these risks are converted to be members of significant risk group after 5S implications.

Modelling and Optimization of Organization of Workplaces in a Foundry

Abstract The paper presents a practical example of improvement of foundry production systems in terms of post-finishing of nodular iron castings produced in the conditions of bulk production for automotive industry. The attention was paid to high labour-intensive efforts, which are difficult to be subjected to mechanization and automation. The times of actions related to grinding processing of castings in three grinding positions connected with a belt conveyor were estimated with the use of a time study method. A bottleneck as well as limiting factors were specified in a system. A number of improvements were proposed, aimed at improving work organization on the castings post-finishing line. An analysis of work ergonomics at the workplace was made in order to eliminate unnecessary and onerous for the employee actions. A model of production system using the Arena software, on which a simulation experiment was conducted, was drawn up in order to visualize the analysed phenomena. The effects of the project were shown on graphs comparing times, costs, work ergonomics and overall efficiency of production equipment indicator.

Conflict, Mobilization, and Deindustrialization: The 1980 Gardner Strike and Occupation

The diesel engine manufacturer L. Gardner and Sons saw two long strikes in 1968 and late 1972, after which a militant shop-steward leadership emerged. In 1980 a high-profile strike and occupation against mass redundancies at the height of the manufacturing recession won significant concessions. The organization exhibited by the Gardner workforce was remarkable and represented a partial victory in a period when strikes were declining and increasingly difficult to organize. However, a countermobilization by the company led to the erosion of the gains: established practices based on ‘mutuality’ (where working times and work organization were agreed between unions and management) were eroded, with managerial control reasserted through regular redundancies. The erosion of the concessions won by the 1980 strike and occupation demonstrates the fragility of gains achieved through trade-unionism. It also demonstrates the difficulty of maintaining strong workplace organization in the face of recession, deindustrialization and counter-mobilization by employers and the state in Britain in the 1980s.

Perceptions of thanks in the workplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use, effectiveness, and dark sides of gratitude communications in workplace organizations. From the perspective of the subordinate employee, this study offers managers applicable insight into best practices for expressing appreciation. Design/methodology/approach – The original research incorporates a two-part study; narratives from three focus groups, and quantitative survey responses from 883 full-time professionals across a spectrum of industries. Findings – The usage of various gratitude mediums (verbal, electronic, handwritten, monetary, etc.) is discussed. Most employees prefer verbal one-on-one gratitude to any other form. Sincerity is highly important to employees, which was found to be indicated by specificity, personalization, timeliness, and equivalency. Research limitations/implications – Although it is presumed the majority of the 883 survey participants were from the USA, they were never asked to indicate their location. Conducting the same research in another country with a different value of gratitude could yield different results. While this study focusses on managerial expression of gratitude to their employees, there’s a compelling need to explore the converse: best practices for how employees should express appreciation to their managers. To complete the organizational ecosystem, it would also be valuable to explore the most effective methods of gratitude in peer-to-peer workplace relationships. Practical implications – The synthesis of experiential themes offers practical applications for executives, managers, and corporate communication leaders seeking to improve day-to-day operations and overall employee satisfaction in their organizations. Social implications – In the corporate communication landscape, the results of this study should cause management professionals and scholars to reflect on gratitude communication in managerial interactions with employees and the resulting employee satisfaction (or lack thereof). Originality/value – Understanding how employees like to be thanked can have great value for organizations seeking to maintain a productive, satisfied workforce.