Workplace Partnership Research Articles

Fueling employee proactive behavior: The distinctive role of Chinese enterprise union practices from a conservation of resources perspective

AbstractGiven its importance to organizational development, interest in exploring the antecedents of employee proactive behavior has grown exponentially. Moving beyond the traditional managerial mindset, we highlight the role of Chinese enterprise union practices in fueling proactive behavior. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we argue that Chinese enterprise union practices can exert a downward influence on proactive behavior, and critically, this cross‐level effect can be accounted for through perceived insider status and affective commitment. Multilevel structural equation modeling based on a sample of 433 employees from 43 enterprises supported the hypotheses. This study responds to previous calls for action to commence a multidisciplinary perspective to explore predictors of proactive behavior, and contributes to a deeper understanding of the distinctive characteristics and unique effects of trade unions in China. It also presents implications for broader union research and workplace partnership initiatives aimed at promoting better labor relationships.

‘Walking a fine line’: Union perspectives on partnership in nursing and midwifery workplaces

Drawing on qualitative research in the main UK unions for nurses/midwives, this article explores union reps’ views of the functioning of workplace partnership in two feminized professions working in the English National Health Service (NHS). Through the investigation of two professional unions, which despite their vitality remain under-researched, the study offers an investigation of the interactions between formal and informal partnership arrangements at the workplace level, the ways in which they intersect with the professional nature of the union context, and the deterioration of working conditions. In doing so, this article contributes to reflections on the prospects of workplace partnership for professional trade unions.

Grievance Management Strategies and Performance of a Manufacturing Firm in Nigeria

This article theoretically examined the effect on organisational results of staff grievance leadership. The article observed that efficient worker grievance leadership is crucial for a harmonious workplace partnership, strengthening staff allegiance and engagement, and improving general organisational efficiency and efficiency. In contrast, absence of or bad leadership of staff grievances in organisations results in adverse organisational results such as decreased efficiency, issue of absenteeism, disobedience of instructions, indisciplinary conduct and decreased job performance. The target population of this study, which is finite (being defined), is the total number of Dangote Cement Plant in Ibese, Ogun State, Nigeria. The population comprises staff whose population is two hundred and sixty (260). The use of questionnaire was adopted to elicit information from the cross section of the selected population. The correlation coefficient value ranges from 0 – 1 and has an acceptable value of 0.88, which indicate a higher reliability of measurement instrument and a low error variance, implying that the instrument is reliable. While the analysis was done using regression analysis, the findings revealed that there is a significant influence of avoidance grievance, dominating grievance, compromise grievance, obliging grievance and integrating grievance management on organisational performance. Organizations should encourage mutual relationship among employees, as well as provide conducive working conditions/ environment for employees, like organizational learning, effective communication among employees, which will enhance their productivity and organizational performance.

Mutual Gains Success and Failure: Two Case Studies of Annual Hours in Ireland

Abstract This paper examines the conditions under which annual hours (AH) are likely to succeed or fail and the role of workplace partnership in delivering mutual gains. We explore two case studies, in one company with a positive experience and in a second where AH were regarded as a failed initiative. The case studies are constructed from interviews with trade union and management representatives in the companies involved; from secondary sources and from a worker survey. The findings echo previous research that AH can deliver mutual gains in both the presence and absence of workplace partnership (Author and Author, 2016) and that delivery of real mutual gains is the key driver of the long term viability of AH. However, the balance of mutual gains is subject to change and is strongly influenced by structural factors determining the suitability of AH to the particular enterprise.

Distributed leadership and employee cynicism: Trade unions as joint change agents

AbstractThe themes of change management and workplace partnership continue to attract significant academic interest—albeit within discreet literatures. Drawing on longitudinal, qualitative data in a heavy engineering organisation, this article details how a collaborative partnership between management and trade unions, encompassing a distributed leadership format, was configured to enhance organisational capacity for change in the context of significant employee cynicism. Bridging human resource management/organisational behaviour and industrial relations perspectives, the study makes a theoretical contribution to our understanding of the factors underpinning the successful implementation of workplace partnership and the utilisation of distributed leadership configurations. More generally, the work informs leadership theory through its scrutiny of distributed leadership in situations of high conflict.

Does workplace partnership deliver mutual gains at work?

This article uses a large matched employer–employee dataset to assess the outcomes of workplace partnership for British firms and workers, and the HR practices associated with ‘mutual gains’. The findings suggest that HR practices which promote employee voice and participation can deliver mutual gains for both employees and employers, but that it is the combination of direct and indirect participation which appears to be most useful in generating superior outcomes for all stakeholders. However, some practices such as high levels of job flexibility and team briefing procedures are found to be negatively associated with work-related attitudes and/or organizational performance.

A mutual gains perspective on workplace partnership: Employee outcomes and the mediating role of the employment relations climate

Recent years have witnessed increased research on the role of workplace partnership in promoting positive employment relations. However, there has been little quantitative analysis of the partnership experiences of employees. This article examines how the kinds of attributions employees make regarding indirect (union‐based) and direct (non‐union‐based) employee participation in workplace partnership might influence the process of mutual gains. It uses employee outcomes to reflect partnership gains for all stakeholders involved (i.e. employees, employers and trade unions). The article contributes to existing knowledge of workplace partnership by examining the potential role of the employment relations climate as an enabling mechanism for the process of mutual gains. The findings suggest mutual gains for all stakeholders are varied and mediated through the employment relations climate.

Dealing with economic and demographic challenges: Workplace innovation practices as a timely and effective response to older workers' needs

Abstract There is substantial evidence that workplace practices can support employee health and well-being. In the present paper we explore the role of a specific type of practices, workplace innovation (WI) practices, for older workers’ health and well-being. We start by arguing for a more comprehensive and less fragmented approach to workplace practices and for practices that can create the conditions to support both quality of working life and organisational performance. We then suggest that WI practices offer such an approach and present the evidence that links the effects of four types of WI practices (work organisation, structure and systems, learning and reflection, and workplace partnership) to a range of health and well-being outcomes (health, well-being, work engagement, performance, and decisions to delay retirement). Even though there is currently no direct empirical evidence that links WI practices to the health and well-being of older workers, the available research offers indirect support for a number of propositions for research and practice. These propositions can help and contribute to the development of a fruitful line of research on the impact of WI on older workers’ health and well-being. Keywords: Older workers, workplace innovation practices, human resource management, health, well-being, work engagement, performance, retirement

Annual hours, workplace partnership and mutual gains: exploring the links

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the capacity of annual hours (AH) to deliver gains to both workers and management and assesses the role of workplace partnership in three Irish companies that have adopted AH. Design/methodology/approach – Three case studies are compared and contrasted. The case studies were compiled through semi-structured interviews with management and trade union representatives, a survey of 205 workers and secondary material. Findings – The authors find that workplace partnership is not a prerequisite for achieving mutual gains where AH are concerned. The research draws attention to the importance of a mechanism for the creation of gains, in these cases, AH and that such gains can arise from different processes. Mutual gains output is not confined to workplace partnership but can arise from collective bargaining. Originality/value – The paper highlights the importance of comparing case studies so that the role of factors often seen as causal to mutual gains in exemplar cases can be critically evaluated. It also utilises directly workers’ opinions on AH and workplace partnership where typically, representative views of management and trade unions dominate the literature on these issues.

The Effects of an Academic--Workplace Partnership Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Sedentary Office Workers.

This study was designed to determine the effect of an academic-workplace partnership intervention, "3,000 more steps," on improving physical activity (PA) and body composition of workers, and compare the characteristics of those workers who completed and did not complete the program. Participants were 70 sedentary office workers from an airline company. Pedometers determined their daily steps, and body composition was compared before and after the 8-week intervention; 39 of 70 (55.7%) participants completed the program. Daily steps increased from 5,811 to 9,240, and fat mass, waist-hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI) decreased for the completers. Non-completers had lower average PA and higher average fat mass at baseline than did completers. Overall, a workplace PA program could be successfully undertaken by occupational health nurses and a research team in partnership. However, to implement a cost-effective intervention program for inactive workers, further research is needed to ascertain why some workers do not complete the program.

Workplace Innovations as Reflected in the Romanian Economic Press

<p>Workplace innovations are designed to optimize production processes in firms and improve employees’ working conditions; few researches on this topic have shown that workplace innovations increased employees’ job satisfaction, as well as a sense of responsibility and autonomy, but also employees’ overall well-being, especially regarding to work–life balance and health. Workplace innovation includes aspects regarding work organization (job autonomy, self-managed teams, flexible working etc.), organizational structure and systems (devolution of decision-making to employees, fairness and equality, supporting employee initiative etc.), learning and development (high involvement innovation, staff learning and development, shared knowledge and experience etc.), workplace partnership (social dialogue, representative participation, involvement in change, openness and communication, integrating tacit and strategic knowledge etc.). This paper aims to highlight the main characteristics of workplace innovations in Romanian firms, as they are presented in some economical, business and academic, journals in our country. The research methodology consisted of a content analysis performed on four Romanian economic journals two from academic area (Management and Marketing and Management Dynamics in Knowledge Economy) and two from business area (Cariere and Biz). The dimensions of content analysis included the different types of workplace innovations and their effects on organizational performance as well as on employees’ quality of life at the workplace, the size and the source of capital and economic sector of firms that innovate in human resource management, barriers and drivers to the implementation of workplace innovations etc. The period for journals content analysis was 1 year, between January 1 and December 31, 2013. The paper contains a case study for each journal, including abstracts of the most relevant articles on the workplace innovations and related topics.</p>

Workplace partnership and legitimacy: a multi-layered analysis of the shop steward experience

The phenomenon of workplace partnership has attracted significant academic interest. This article uses case study evidence from a traditional heavy engineering MNC context to examine how the pursuit of collaborative strategies affected the roles of a multi-layered, mature community of trade union shop stewards. The analytical lens of legitimacy is used to provide insight into the contrasting experiences of senior and sectional stewards – a hitherto overlooked area. This study suggests limitations at one level of representation may be offset by advances at another and thus aids understanding of the conditions underpinning the impact of partnership.

Defining workplace innovation

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce the ‘Fifth Element’ as ‘joint intelligence’ shared by all stakeholders in the workplace and at the wider economic and social level, and aimed at closing the evidence-practice gap. Design/methodology/approach – The mutually reinforcing impact of practices based on employee involvement and participation at all levels of an organisation can create a tangible effect in workplaces, which is hard to quantify but which is often described in terms of “culture” and “employee engagement”. Findings – The first four elements comprise Job Design and Work Organisation; Structures and Systems; Learning, Reflection and Innovation; and Workplace Partnership. When these combine successfully, the outcome can be remarkable producing a tangible and sustainable change in the day-to-day culture of an organization, which includes across the board improvements in communications, leadership and employee engagement, higher performance, enhanced customer care and a self-perpetuating regime of innovation. Originality/value – The metaphor of the Fifth Element is a useful way of capturing this essence, describing an alchemic transformation that can only take place when the other four elements combine.

The impact of workplace partnership

Purpose – This case study aims to demonstrate how the fortunes of companies and plants can be turned around when management and unions work together to release the knowledge, experience and creativity of the workforce. Design/methodology/approach – Becton Dickinson (BD) has produced medical devices in Drogheda, Ireland, for 50 years, but during the first decade of this century, the plant seemed to be falling off the parent company’s radar. Substantial job losses and a lack of new investment left a space inside the factory “the size of a football field”. Employment had fallen to less than a hundred and corporate interest was waning. Findings – The problem was tackled by the ‘IDEAS Institute’ a trade union initiative developed “to identify ways in which new thinking and new services can be introduced into the workplace for the benefit of employees and the enterprise as a whole”. Originality/value – The IDEAS Institute held a series of meetings with BD employees, union representatives and management, leading to the creation of the Joint Union-Management Steering Team (JUMST) where both parties were equally represented. Drawing on inclusive dialogue with employees at every level, JUMST defined the future vision for Drogheda and identified the first cluster of improvement projects designed to show that the factory could again become a key performer within the BD group. The case study offers persuasive evidence that workplace partnership means more than good industrial relations. Unions can play a key role in engaging workers at all levels in innovation and improvement, creating win-win outcomes for employees and their employers.

Workplace Partnership Boosts Screening for Colorectal Cancer

Workplace Partnership Boosts Screening for Colorectal Cancer

Workplace partnership and professional workers: ‘about as useful as a chocolate teapot’?

The labour processes and employment relations that characterise the working conditions of many professional workers might be expected to generate the high-trust environment required for cooperative, partnership-style management–union relations. However, few studies have focused on partnership in ‘professional’ and ‘expert labour’ employment sectors. This paper assesses the efficacy of partnership through the lens of manager, union and employee attitudes at three cases studies notable for employing high numbers of staff in the professions and ‘marginal professions’. The analysis focuses on the nature of the cooperative relationship between union representatives and management (categorised as either ‘nurtured’ or ‘coerced partnership’), whether unions in these settings are able to expand the range and scope of their influence, and whether professional workers themselves display positive attitudes to cooperative union forms. The study finds that in all three cases the ‘partnership’ union is seen by its members as a weak, insubordinate entity in terms of collective influence over management policy though in the two ‘nurturing’ cases they see it to be more effective for individual member representation.

Has Australia’s Road to Workplace Partnership Reached a Dead End?

Over the last fifteen years, a number of developed countries have pursued an agenda seeking to develop more collaborative management-union arrangements often labelled as partnerships. This article reviews the Australian road to partnerships by situating it within the context of developments in the UK and New Zealand. In 2009, Australia's then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, suggested that Australian Industrial Relations were about to undergo a shift towards a new model of workplace interaction that included more collaboration and partnerships. We argue that rather than a substantial shift, this approach can be viewed as an evolution from the Accord years, disrupted for a period by the Howard Government. However, unlike similar regulatory regimes in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the Australian Government has done little to entrench a system of partnerships at the workplace level. This article assesses the extent to which collaboration and partnership in Australia's modern IR system provides a roadmap to a new Australian IR landscape, or whether the failure of policy-makers to act has led to a dead-end for Australian partnerships. The practical implications of this agenda for the conduct of industrial relations are considered.

Implications of game theory for theoretical underpinning of cooperative relations in workplace partnership

This article clarifies the ongoing debate over the key factors underpinning cooperative relations between management and trade unions by drawing on the once-off and repeated prisoner's dilemma models. It argues that the lower the risk to achieve a ‘win-win’ outcome and the longer the time horizon for workplace partnership, the more likely is for the two parties to cooperate.

Successful but unappealing: fifteen years of workplace partnership in Ireland

This paper presents the first comprehensive review and assessment of Ireland's influential 15-year experiment with workplace partnership. The paper reviews the outcomes of workplace partnership and explains the limited adoption of partnership in the private and public sectors, drawing on the authors' experiences as participants in policy initiatives concerned with promoting partnership in the workplace. Although the promotion of partnership was to the fore in public policy between the late 1990s to the onset of the recession and successful outcomes were reported for the main stakeholders where partnerships were established, the paper explains why the concept nevertheless remained largely unappealing across the private and public sectors.

Partnership, flexible workplace practices and the realisation of mutual gains: evidence from the British WERS 2004 dataset

This paper examines the potential for workplace partnership to produce mutual gains through the implementation of high-performance, flexible-working initiatives. Using a large manager–employee matched dataset, originating in the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS 2004), it focuses upon a range of related workplace practices reported by manager and employees as available or in use in their establishment, to consider the extent to which their implementation is associated with mutual benefits (positive-sum), reported by both managers and employee respondents, or whether gains for one group occur at potential cost to another (zero-sum). Bivariate probit models allow measures of manager and employee-reported organisational outcomes to endogenously affect each other, first from a managerial perspective, second from an employee perspective and third from a combined managerial and employee perspective. The results highlight the significant potential for partnership agreements to deliver mutual gains, albeit within a narrower range of workplace practices than might be the case if the innovation package was designed with the primary interest of only one group in mind. Unsurprisingly, managers and employees were found to have different perspectives in relation to partnership arrangements, with the latter having the more realistic expectations of achievable outcomes. However, since partnership agreements, as defined by this paper, remain underdeveloped within UK workplaces, with only 8% of the sampled 23,000 employees benefiting from such workplace arrangements, the evidence advanced by this paper would indicate a potential scope for realisable gains deriving from well-designed, participatory forms of partnership.