Employee Relations: An International Journal

Maria Vakola; Dimitris Bouradas

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510611997

Purpose – Although the phenomenon of organisational silence is widely seen in organisations, there is little empirical evidence regarding its nature and main components. This paper aims at investigating the dimensions of silence climate as they are perceived by individuals and exploring the effects of these dimensions on job attitudes. Design/methodology/approach – In a sample of 677 employees, three dimensions of silence climate are constructed and measured in order to examine their effects on employee silence behaviour, organisational commitment and job satisfaction. Findings – Results indicate that supervisors’ attitudes to silence, top management attitudes to silence and communication opportunities are associated and predict employees’ silence behaviour. These three dimensions are also associated with organisational commitment and job satisfaction. Originality/value – Although the phenomenon of organisational silence is expected in organisations, there is little empirical evidence in the literature aimed at defining it, analysing it and coping with it. Silence climate has an impact on organizations’ ability to detect errors and learn and, therefore, organizational effectiveness is negatively affected. This exploratory study aims to measure organisational silence as a continuum between silence and voice explain silence behaviour through organisational climate dimensions. Based on the findings of this study, there are some important implications that are discussed.

Thomas Klikauer

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510612004

Purpose – Aims to test Walton and McKersie’s theory on labour negotiations, specifically in the case of German car manufacturers. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on interviews with industrial actors in Germany’s car industry – an empirical case study. Findings – The article explains the structural force behind the managerial drive towards production. While German managers act at an enterprise level, a structural force has been responsible for the success of Germany’s post‐WW II manufacturing. Germany’s collective bargaining structure removed wage and working‐time bargaining from local management and opened four managerial options: production, productivity, innovation, and quality. This structure forced management to focus on these four options because they lie within the realm of management prerogative. The article explains how structural divisions between intra ‐enterprise level arrangements and extra ‐enterprise level collective bargaining at a conceptual level can best be understood. Originality/value – Argues that a regional and industry collective bargaining structure has supported the success of a competitive car industry in Germany.

Paula McDonald; Diane Guthrie; Lisa Bradley; Jane Shakespeare‐Finch

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510612013

Purpose – This study seeks systematically to investigate the extent to which the documented aims of formal work‐family policies are being achieved at the level of individual employees. Design/methodology/approach – Consistency between policy and practice in the case study organization was explored via an analysis of organizational documents which described work‐family policies and 20 interviews with employed women with dependent children. Findings – Results show that the use of flexible work arrangements was consistent with aims related to balance and productivity. However, women’s experiences and perceptions of part‐time employment conflicted with policies aiming to support the same career opportunities as full‐time employees. Research limitations/implications – The nature of the organization and its policies as well as certain characteristics of the sample may limit the generalizability of findings to other sectors and groups of employees. Practical implications – The research highlights the need to assess whether work‐family policies are experienced as intended, a process which may contribute to future policy development and assist human resource specialists to promote genuine balance between work and non‐work responsibilities. Originality/value – The results inform the current understanding of how organizational policy translates into practice.

Michelle C. Bligh; Melissa K. Carsten

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510612022

Purpose – Previous research on psychological contracts has assumed that managers play a unidimensional role as either a contractual agent or an employee of the organization. These assumptions are examined in light of a recent article advocating a “multiple foci” conceptualization of psychological contracts. Design/methodology/approach – As psychological contracts become increasingly salient in times of rapid change, qualitative data from 16 nurse managers in a post‐merger hospital consolidation were examined. Findings – Results indicate that managers have a bi‐directional obligation with both the organization and their subordinates. Specifically, managers have strong upward contracts with top management with regard to material support, resources, and strategic communication. Manager‐to‐subordinate contracts, on the other hand, reflect a greater emphasis on the areas of employee involvement and emotional support. Practical implications – These findings challenge researchers and practitioners to explicitly consider a multiple foci conceptualization of psychological contracts, particularly in the context of organizational change. In practice, this means that one must dedicate more attention to uncovering the constituents with whom managers hold psychological contracts, as well as how managers prioritize their multiple contracts within the organization. Originality/value – Given the conflictual role managers often face in a post‐merger environment, it may be increasingly difficult to understand managerial contracts using traditional approaches. Although exploratory, this study provides the first empirical support for the above recent argument, and suggests that taking into account the multifaceted content and structure of managerial contracts may play a critical role in successful change initiatives.

Cedric E. Dawkins; John W. Frass

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510612031

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the ability of the theory of planned behaviour to predict worker intent towards an employee involvement (EI) programme, and the impact of union identification on workers’ decision making. Design/methodology/approach – Union workers at a small manufacturing company in the Midwestern United States completed two questionnaires. The first questionnaire provided measures of the attitudinal, normative, and behavioural control components of the theory of planned behaviour and the degree to which they identified with their labour union. In the second questionnaire, the same respondents answered questions to measure their intention to support or oppose an employee involvement (EI) programme. Findings – Intentions to support EI were accurately predicted from attitudes, normative support, and perceived behavioural control (0.05 level). Level of union identification moderated the impact of attitudes on intention to support EI for workers that did not identify heavily with the labour union (0.05 level), but did not moderate the effect of normative support on intention for workers who identified heavily with the labour union. Research limitations/implications – The results indicate that the theory of planned behaviour has the potential to be an effective tool in predicting the behavioural outcomes of union members in the workplace, and that the level of union identification affects decision making. Research is limited by same source methodology and no direct measure of behaviour. Practical implications – Leaders, labour and management, who intend to implement new programmes, should give strong consideration to how workers’ social cohorts influence their decision making and plan for this contingency when considering programme changes. Originality/value – The level of union identification influences perception and decision making but has not been considered in models of member decision making. EI research has tended to center on EI as the antecedent to outcomes such as job satisfaction, cooperation, retention, and quality of work life. This paper addresses the role of union identification in support for EI programmes, and uses a well‐established behavioural theory to explain workers’ decision‐making process.

Scott A. Hurrell

2005 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450510612040

Purpose – To investigate the impact of the working time regulations (WTR) in the hospitality industry and dynamics of the employment relationship within the case study firms. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study approach was used, interviewing 18 respondents over two case study organisations. Line managers, personnel specialists, employees and trade union representatives were interviewed in each case. Findings – Both case studies were largely unaffected by the WTR. This was due to both the high amount of numerical and temporal flexibility afforded by large part‐time workforces and to harmonious employment relations. The design of the Regulations also brings the Government’s commitment to the WTR into doubt. On rare occasions where there was a departure from the basic regulations these were generally accounted for by the many derogations contained within the legislation and were with the full consent of employees. Research limitations/implications – It is hard to generalise from this research alone which is relatively small‐scale. The study suggests reasons for the unproblematic nature of the WTR which could be tested using large‐scale statistically representative methods. The occurrence of “accidental compliance” is of particular interest for future research. Practical implications – Identifies the way in which the WTR allow “accidental compliance” and would be useful for review by policy makers. Originality/value – The WTR remains relatively under‐researched and the study draws interesting comparisons with earlier research. The qualitative approach allows the role of the actors to be identified in determining the effect of the dynamics of the employment relationship on compliance patterns, which covers an empirical “gap” in the literature.