Employee Relations: An International Journal

Lucas, Rosemary

1991 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459110001476

For much of their history, wages councils havefunctioned in conditions in which public policy, asexpressed in legislation, has favoured thedevelopment of voluntary collective bargaining.Since 1979 there has been a marked change ofemphasis. The effect of the legislative frameworkand other factors on the development of voluntarycollective bargaining is discussed. Some recentresearch findings on wage regulation in hotels arepresented and the future prospects for collectivebargaining in the hotel industry are considered.

Thornicroft, Kenneth W.

1991 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459110000468

Productivity gainsharing plans may well experiencea resurgence as firms attempt to meet thecompetitive challenges posed by the new globalmarketplace. This qualitative ethnographic researchinvestigates the particular problems one US firmexperienced when it implemented a Scanlonproductivity gainsharing plan. It is argued that suchplans should not be treated as simple quid pro quosfor collective bargaining concessions because theynecessarily pose significant impediments to themaintenance of the status quo. Successfulimplementation requires both a sound programmestructure, especially concerning the bonus formula,and a change in the organisations culture wherebyall employees are able to participate meaningfullyin the decisionmaking process.

Brennan, Maire

1991 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459110135784

Despite the optimism which surrounded the adventof quality circles a decade ago, recent researchsuggests that there are few programmes stillfunctioning. The data on which this article is basedwere collected in five organisations in centralScotland in the period 198386, when quality circleswere in operation or were being introduced. Sincethen, all but one of the programmes has ceased.The research indicates that the barriersencountered by quality circles are of two kindssome general to any form of organisational changeothers specific to quality circles. In addition, qualitycircles cannot easily be assimilated into existingorganisational power structures but require changesto systems of reward, communication and decisionmaking. Specifically the role played by middlemanagers is examined. They may see qualitycircles as a threat to their managerial prerogativeand are in a position to impair the circles by denyingthem the resources such as time, information,people and finance they need to operate. Withoutthe cooperation of middle managers, the circlescannot select appropriate projects, collect data orimplement solutions, and may find it impossibleto continue.