Colin Gill

The effects of lean production on worker job stress

Purpose – This empirical paper seeks to address the neglected work condition aspect of lean production (LP) implementation, specifically the relationship between LP and worker job stress.Design/methodology/approach – The Karasek job stress model was used to link shopfloor practices to expected worker stress. The model incorporates the effects of job demands (physical and psychological), job control and social support. The study employs management and worker questionnaires, management interviews and structured plant tours. The response variable is total worker job stress – the sum of the physical and mental stress levels. The independent variable for the first question is the degree of lean implementation at the sites.Findings – The results are based on 1,391 worker responses at 21 sites in the four UK industry sectors. About 11 tested practices are significantly related to stress and an unexpected non‐linear response of stress to lean implementation is identified. Results indicate that LP is not inherentl...

Direct and representative participation in Europe: recent survey evidence

Despite the wealth of literature on HRM and employee involvement, now there has been a remarkable lack of large-scale survey evidence on the diffusion employee involvement in work organizations in Europe. This gap in large-scale survey evidence on the diffusion of direct employee participation has now been filled representative sample of workplaces in ten major European Union countries which commissioned by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin (the EPOC project). It is by far the most comprehensive overview of the implementation and effects of direct employee participation of its kind. The paper shows that, on the basis of the EPOC survey results, there appears to considerable gap between the rhetoric and reality of direct participation. The paper shows that while the incidence of different forms of direct participation was widespread ten countries, the scope, in terms of number of issues involved and the number of given to employees, was relatively limite...

Are Three Cracks in the Danish Model of Industrial Relations

The Danish system of industrial relations bears a lot of similarity to the traditional Scandinavian model of industrial relations. In this article the authors argue that whilst the Danish model has weathered the forces of change remarkably well up to now, a number of recent developments have started to produce ‘cracks’ in the model.

Employment, Employment, Employment: Is Europe Working?

No abstract available.

Technological change and participation in work organization: recent results from a European Community survey

In 1987–8 a large attitudinal survey covering all twelve Member States of the European Community was carried out by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin which focused on various aspects of participation by employee representatives in new information technology. This paper presents evidence on one of the central trade union concerns about technological change – that of work organization. The paper first sets out an explanatory framework which is based on much of the literature, surveys and case-study evidence on the impact of new technology on work and employment. Second, the explanatory factors are used to explain the wide diversity in the levels of participation in work organization across the Community. The paper concludes that there is a significant North/South divide, with the northern EC Member States, particularly Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium having much higher levels of participation in work organization than their Mediterranean par...

Social Europe: National Initiatives and Responses

I 1997 Employment Guidelines adopted at the Luxembourg summit (under the four ‘pillars’ of employability, entrepreneurialism, adaptability and equal opportunities) (European Commission, 1997b); I 1997 Green Paper, Partnership for a New Organisation of Work (European Commission, 1997a); I 1998 Social Action Programme (European Commission, 1998a); and I 1998 Communication, Modernising the Organisation of Work (European Commission, 1998c)

Participation in product and service quality: recent survey evidence from the European Community

In 1987–88, a large attitudinal survey covering all 12 member states of the EC was carried out by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin which focused on various aspects of participation by employee representatives in new information technology. This paper presents evidence on one important aspect of technological change—that of participation in product and service quality. After outlining the survey method used, the paper sets out an explanatory framework which is based on much of the literature, surveys and case study evidence on the impact of new technology on work and employment. The explanatory factors are used to explain the wide diversity in the levels of participation in product and service quality across the EC which emanated from the survey. Despite the wide variations from one country to another, the survey results suggest that participation levels are likely to increase throughout the EC in the future.

Developing an Analytical Approach to Industrial Relations Policy

A definition of industrial relations policy is proposed and an analytical framework suggested to help towards an understanding of such policy. The framework, draws on three crucial distinctions: that between the “espoused” policy and the “operational” policy; that between the different roles management may play in industrial relations policy as instigators, implementers and facilitators, and, finally, between the “content” and the “features” aspects of policy. These distinctions are illustrated by case‐study material in both ongoing and change situations, and conclusions are drawn from the analysis.

Environmental protection in Europe: The ‘greening’ of industrial relations?

Abstract This article, which is based on a comparative EU study, shows that the social partners in some countries have begun to discuss environmental protection as part of their industrial relations agenda, but such discussions are limited in scope. Seven case studies carried out in European companies point to a number of themes related to the dynamics of environmental policy processes which can assist employers and unions in the ‘greening’ of industrial relations in Europe.

British industrial relations and the European Community

The purpose of this paper is to review the influence that Britains membership of the European Community has had on industrial relations in Britain. More specifically the so-called ‘Social Dimension’ of the 1992 internal market is assessed. The conclusion is that British industrial relations will continue to be influenced by developments in the European Community for the rest of the 1990s and beyond. However, it is more likely that there will be a weaving of a European dimension into national industrial relations systems rather than the imposition of a new EC-wide model.