Employee Relations: An International Journal

Charles Despres; Jean‐Marie Hiltrop

1995 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459510146652

Knowledge is becoming a critically importance resource in contemporary business organizations, a development posing significant issues for HRM. Draws together various strands of theory, research and practice to develop a better understanding of these issues, with special emphasis on HRM practice in knowledge‐intensive organizations. Discusses the difficulties of making a transition from traditional forms of HRM to post‐industrial approaches. A review of traditional compensation systems serves as the basis for a series of propositions concerning preferred practice in this critically important area. The major contention is that the managers of knowledge‐intensive organizations are confronting major new issues in co‐ordinating and directing the effort of knowledge workers. The major conclusion is that existing compensation structures and routines must be re‐thought and makes several suggestions in this regard.

Roger Lumley

1995 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459510078351

Examines some of the radical changes in labour markets and employment relations in the former German Democratic Republic (DDR) immediately following German unification and identifies a large degree of continuity in management personnel but an almost total replacement of union officials. Concludes that, while unification has undermined some of the characteristics of the employment relations system, stronger pressures for change are arising from the impact of global competitive pressures in the German economy. The system is likely to be subject to evolutionary modification rather than radical change.

Stephen Crow; Sandra Hartman; Chiff Koen; Pamela Van Epps

1995 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459510078360

Recent interest in constituency theory, coupled with the concern of the quality movement for meeting the needs of the internal and external “customers” of organizations leads HR managers to think about their jobs in terms of the stakeholders or constituents who have influence or impact on HR job performance. When the HR job is considered in terms of its any constituents, it becomes apparent that within any organization there are many different interacting groups that HR managers must satisfy, or who have rights or a stake in what HR does. Moreover, each comes with distinct and sometimes conflicting needs. Discusses the importance of HR constituencies and how they can affect the HR function′s ability to operate successfully, and to use theory to suggest how the HR manager can retain effectiveness in a setting characterized by pressures from competing constituencies.

Mick Marchington

1995 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425459510146661

It is now commonplace to hear about the re‐forming potential of new employment practices such as employee involvement, TQM, empowerment, teamworking, and HRM. There are arguments that these have contributed to organizational success, and a feeling that these are all things to be welcomed. But not all analysts agree that these are as widely practised as the glowing reports would have us believe, and there is a contrary view that these approaches lead to greater work intensification and less satisfied employees. Many of the gurus who write about these issues implicitly assume that all can be improved by a wave of the magic wand and the slaying of a few “evil” characters along the way. Reality, of course, is much more complex. The argument here is that there are no instant solutions, but the process and achievement of change are difficult since so much depends on the quality of employee‐management relationships at the workplace.