Rebecca Kolins Givan

Rethinking Institutions and Institutional Change in European Industrial Relations

This article traces the process of institutional change in industrial relations in Britain, France and Sweden over the last quarter-century in order to identify the mechanisms and forms of institutional change. These three cases demonstrate a high degree of institutional plasticity, and a greater convergence in industrial relations than comparisons of national institutions have tended to suggest. These findings in turn suggest the need to rethink both the role of institutions and the nature of institutional change in comparative political economy.

Seeing stars: human resources performance indicators in the National Health Service

Purpose – This paper examines the functioning of performance ratings of the human resources (HR) function of National Health Service (NHS). In particular, it looks at the star ratings system and the response of workplace HR managers to this system.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a qualitative, cross‐sectional methodology. Human resource managers in 17 different NHS trusts, as well as senior civil servants, were interviewed.Findings – The paper finds that poor data quality and inconsistent incentives make the ratings of limited relevance in either evaluating or driving the performance of the hospital HR function.Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the value of assessing government policies from the perspective of those affected by them.Practical implications – The evidence shows that the application of performance indicators does not meet the stated government objectives. Also, the unanimity across managers in differently rated trusts shows that criticisms are not limit...

Varieties of new public management? The reform of public service employment relations in the UK and USA

This article analyses developments in public service employment relations in the UK and USA over the last two decades that are associated with the implementation of new public management (NPM) style reforms. We examine developments in performance management, patterns of wage determination and trade union responses to these reforms. Although there are some similarities in the reform agenda, there are marked variations in the interpretation and implementation of NPM reforms, which reflect differing administrative traditions and the malleability of NPM reforms.

HAVING YOUR CAKE AND EATING IT TOO? THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HR AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN HEALTHCARE

This paper examines the relationship between human resource practices in 173 hospitals in the United Kingdom and four organizational outcome categories – clinical, financial, employee attitudes and perceptions, and patient attitudes and perceptions. The overarching proposition set forth and examined in this paper is that human resource management (HRM) practices and delivery of care practices have varied effects on each of these outcomes. More specifically, the authors set forth the proposition that specific practices will have positive effects on one outcome category while simultaneously having a negative effect on other performance outcomes, broadly defined. The paper introduces a broader stakeholder framework for assessing the HR–performance relationship in the healthcare setting. This multi-dimensional framework incorporates the effects of human resource practices on customers (patients), management, and frontline staff and can also be applied to other sectors such as manufacturing. This approach acknowledges the potential for incompatibilities between stakeholder performance objectives. In the healthcare industry specifically, our framework broadens the notion of performance. Overall, our results provide support for the proposition that different stakeholders will be affected differently by the use of managerial practices. We believe that the findings reported in this paper highlight the importance of examining multiple stakeholder outcomes associated with managerial practices and the need to identify the inherent trade-offs associated with their adoption.

A Balancing Act: Work–Life Balance and Multiple Stakeholder Outcomes in Hospitals

This article examines the direct and indirect effects of work–life balance (WLB) practices on multiple stakeholder outcomes in hospitals. The authors examine the direct and indirect effects of WLB practices in 173 hospitals in the United Kingdom on organizational, patient care and employee outcomes. The article proposes a model in which the effects of WLB practices on patient care outcomes and financial performance are mediated by employee turnover intentions. The authors provide strong support for the potential vested in WLB practices in the healthcare setting. Results indicate that greater use of WLB practices enhances outcomes for hospitals, their employees and the patients they care for.

Workforce Responses to the Creeping Privatization of the UK National Health Service

When the British National Health Service was founded in 1948, professional employees and support staff, with the exception of family doctors, worked directly for the state. Since the 1980s, private employment in the National Health Service (NHS) has steadily grown. Beginning with the outsourcing of support services, the number of privately-employed workers in the National Health Service has gradually increased. This paper argues that marketization in the health sector has increased dramatically under the New Labour government. As policymakers have moved from ideological to pragmatic justifications for marketization, union opposition has similarly become more pragmatic and less ideological. With unions unable to stop these reforms, they have turned to the practical concerns of their members in partially-privatized workplaces under complex employment arrangements. This article shows that while ideologically opposing marketization, unions and employees have been forced into a more pragmatic position. Research at two privately-funded public hospitals shows that unions in the workplace have used their resources to protect their members, as thwarting the involvement of the private sector is nearly impossible.