Peter Butler

Looking inside the Russian doll: the interconnections between context, learning and pedagogy in the workplace

There is now much awareness of the symbiotic relationship between workplace learning, the organisation of work, level of employee involvement, organisational performance, and the broader economic, regulatory, and social context within which organisations have to operate. This article argues that we have to identify and take serious account of the contextual factors (external and internal) that affect all organisations, as these are central to developing our understanding of the nature of pedagogical practice within any workplace setting. By closely examining the nature and impact of these contextual factors, we can gain greater insight into the phenomenon of why organisations adopt different practices and why they create such different learning environments. The article draws on emerging findings from an ESRC‐funded multisector study in the UK and uses illustrations from two contrasting sectors to highlight the impact of context on pedagogical practice.

‘When the Going Gets Tough’: Recession and the Resilience of Workplace Partnership

Drawing on longitudinal research in an engineering multinational corporation, this article considers the resilience of workplace partnership under conditions of retrenchment. In line with extant literature, the twin influences of trade union power and competitive strategy are seen to significantly shape the durability of partnership. Beyond these determinants, trust and managerial skill and political sensitivity are deemed important moderators. The findings nonetheless suggest that the favourable alignment of these factors may not represent a sufficient bulwark in those situations where the axis of partnership is local, within the context of otherwise centrally coordinated industrial relations.

Mutual gains? The workers' verdict: a longitudinal study

‘Who gains from partnership?’ is a topic that has been hotly debated (Roche 2009) and it has been suggested that the ‘balance of advantage’ is often skewed towards employers. However, employee testimony remains limited. To address this gap, the paper examines employee evidence on the partnership process and their interpretation of the gains realised over time in a large UK-based subsidiary of an engineering multinational company. The research is part of a larger longitudinal case-study project extending over 5 years. The analysis here draws upon data collected during 2006–2010 and includes 99 interviews alongside nearly 200 matched survey responses, in addition to observational and documentary evidence. We introduce a process model of the ‘hierarchy of gains’ and suggest that this helps explain shifts in worker behaviour as a result of partnership.

Workplace partnership and employee involvement - contradictions and synergies: Evidence from a heavy engineering case study

This article considers the workplace partnership–employee involvement nexus. While an empirical association has been recorded, there has been limited exploration of the potential benefits to be derived from the coupling of these interventions. Developing the idea of forward and reverse synergies this article argues the relationship is complex. The tendency for partnership to act as an antecedent for the utilization of employee involvement and wider organizational change has been documented – forward synergy. However, the reverse scenario, where involvement is used by management to initiate and subsequently bolster workplace cooperation and consensus has received far less scrutiny. This article seeks to shed light on both phenomena.

Workplace partnership and legitimacy: a multi-layered analysis of the shop steward experience

The phenomenon of workplace partnership has attracted significant academic interest. This article uses case study evidence from a traditional heavy engineering MNC context to examine how the pursuit of collaborative strategies affected the roles of a multi-layered, mature community of trade union shop stewards. The analytical lens of legitimacy is used to provide insight into the contrasting experiences of senior and sectional stewards – a hitherto overlooked area. This study suggests limitations at one level of representation may be offset by advances at another and thus aids understanding of the conditions underpinning the impact of partnership.

Skating on thin ICE? A critical evaluation of a decade of research on the British Information and Consultation Regulations 2004

This article critically examines the literature dealing with the British Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations (2004). It is argued that notwithstanding significant academic interest, the implications of the legislation for employees, trade unions and managers remain under-explored and inadequately theorised. Outlining the principal deficiencies the article suggests scholars could derive much inspiration from the voluminous output relating to both the (sister) European Works Council (EWC) Directive and the continental works council format. The absence of research dealing with the interconnectedness of the ICE and EWC Regulations is similarly highlighted. It is suggested that researchers might usefully import the concept of ‘institutional complementarity’ to extend knowledge of the synergies potentially derived from the operation of both pan-European (EWC) and national (ICE) fora in those organisations where such bodies coexist.

‘A Minute’s a Life-Time in Fast-Food!’: Managerial Job Quality in the Quick Service Restaurant Sector:

The fast-food sector remains significantly under researched relative to its size and importance. Drawing on qualitative data this article explores the nature of managerial work in a market leading organisation. The research speaks to important contemporary debates vis-a-vis managerial job quality in routinised service sector work and the compatibility of such jobs with key quality of working life (QWL) criteria (e.g. opportunities for skills development, decision latitude, voice and meaning). The theoretical contribution of the article lies in the rigour of the analytical lens and exploration of how objective QWL criteria are coloured by subjective expectations and social processes to produce nuanced and unanticipated outcomes, for example accounts of rewarding, interesting and meaningful work notwithstanding severe structural constraints and bureaucratic rigidities.

Distributed Leadership and Employee Cynicism: Trade unions as joint change agents

The themes of change management and workplace partnership continue to attract significant academic interest – albeit within discreet literatures. Drawing on longitudinal, qualitative data in a heavy engineering organization this article details how a collaborative partnership between management and trade unions, encompassing a distributed’ leadership format, was configured to enhance organizational capacity for change in the context of significant employee cynicism. Bridging human resource management/organizational behaviour and industrial relations perspectives the works makes a theoretical contribution to our understanding of the factors underpinning the successful implementation of workplace partnership and the utilisation of distributed leadership configurations. More generally the work informs leadership theory through its scrutiny of distributed leadership in situations of high conflict.