THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF WORK

1
THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF WORK

• The dominant paradigm for how to structure work
  in much of the 20th century was scientific
  management developed by Frederick Taylor (also
  referred to as Taylorism).
• Well-suited to the mass production of
  standardized goods and services in a stable
  economy.
• Problems arise
• Unstable economic markets
• Worker alienation

2
NEW BUSINESS MODELS

• Continuous process improvement
• Reengineering
• Workplace flexibility is critical in these new
  models.

3
WORKPLACE CHANGES RESULTING FROM REENGINEERING

4
EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP FLEXIBILITY

5
JOB CONTROL UNIONISM UNDER FIRE

6
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT

• Scientific management treats workers as
  unthinking cogs in a machine.
• Some new business models champion not only
  workplace flexibility, but also employee
  involvement in decision-making.
• Examples of employee involvement include
• Quality of working life programs (QWL)
• Quality Circles
• Joint labor-management committees
• Labor representation on a corporations board of
  directors.
• High performance work systems of mutually
  supporting HR practices that combine flexibility
  with employee involvement in decision-making.

7
DEBATES OVER HIGH PERFORMANCE WORK SYSTEMS

• Lean production
• Method for continuous quality improvement . . .
  or management by stress and a disguised
  old-fashioned speed-up?
• Self-directed work teams.
• Unions as valuable business partners . . . or as
  shirking their primary role of advocacy for
  employees interests?
• Do slimmer union contracts promote flexibility
  and increased employee discretion . . .
• or provide opportunities for managerial
  manipulation in the absence of well-defined
  standards?

8
EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIONARE UNIONS REQUIRED?

• Nonunion employee representation plans involve a
  group of employees meeting with management to
  discuss employment conditions and to provide
  employee voice.
• A significant number of nonunion employee
  representation plans were part of a welfare
  capitalism package of HR practices designed to
  create a motivated, loyal, and efficient
  workforce.
• The Electromation Controversy
• A 1992 NLRB ruling Five committees were ruled to
  be illegal company-dominated unions even though
  established for legitimate business reasons (not
  union-busting).

9
THREE UNIONIZED CHANGE STRATEGIES

• Escape
• Force
• Foster