Rory Donnelly

How “free” is the free worker?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light upon the reasons why knowledge workers are offered considerable autonomy, and the extent to which they are given the freedom to determine how and when they work.Design/methodology/approach – In order to examine the level of flexibility available to knowledge workers, a large consultancy firm was investigated using a case‐study approach.Findings – The results obtained from the case‐study firm demonstrate the reasons why consultants are afforded temporal and locational flexibility and the degree of flexibility available to them. Contrary to the claims of “futurists”, many knowledge workers are not able to exercise greater control over their working arrangements than traditional employees, as their temporal/locational flexibility is restricted by the needs of their employer(s), client demands and expectations, “professionalism”, network relations and personal career ambitions.Originality/value – The role played by knowledge workers in the new knowledge eco...

The knowledge economy and the restructuring of employment: the case of consultants

Knowledge workers are said to be the vanguard of a new era in work and employment, with some even claiming that these workers have been freed from the constraints of organizational employment (Pink, 2001; Reed, 1996). However, many knowledge workers operate as employees and emerging research suggests that the interplay between these workers and organizations generates strong competing tensions. This article proposes that these conflicts lead to a hybridization of the employment relationship.The findings from this case study of a large consultancy firm suggest that these tensions along with organizational context, the form of knowledge work, the seniority of the individual and the level and nature of client influence play an important role in shaping the degree and balance of this hybridization in contemporary bureaucracies.

The management of consultancy knowledge: an internationally comparative analysis

Purpose – The paper aims to examine whether the knowledge management practices deployed by a multinational consultancy differ according to the national context in which they are implemented and whether the practices that are deployed are effective in diffusing consultancy knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – The method chosen to explore the questions was a case study of one of the “Big Four” consultancy firms, involving an intensive study of one part of the business operating in the UK and The Netherlands.Findings – The findings revealed strong similarities over the ways in which the case study firm managed its intellectual capital in both the UK and The Netherlands. This convergence in practices supports the notion that consultancies often copy practices that have proved successful in order to avoid uncertainty and the risk of being out of step with their competitors/counterparts. In addition, the results revealed a number of problems with the practices deployed by the firm that arose as a result of t...

Revisiting the UK model: from basket case to success story and back again?

When the UK took over the presidency of the European Union in July 2005, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair presented the UK model as a potential saviour for the European social model, a model for the rest of Europe to emulate. It had succeeded, it was claimed, not only in combining growth with high employment rates, facilitated by flexible labour and product markets, but also for using economic growth and modern approaches to public service and welfare reform to renew public services and to combat child poverty. Even at the time these claims were met with scepticism; for many the UK still represented the liberal or market version of capitalism which, if followed as the model for modernization, could not only sound the death knell for distinctively European varieties of capitalism (Wickham, 2005) but also promote a dangerously fragile form of expansion, based on extended consumer credit and a seemingly never-ending rise in house prices. From the perspective of autumn 2008, the grandiose claims by Blair to have developed a blueprint for Europe have been put in perspective by the financial meltdown and the state-led rescue plan for the jewel in the UK’s crown, the City of London. This major collapse of the UK and world financial system is too new and its course as yet too unpredictable for this chapter to predict the characteristics of the next phase of model development in the UK. It is appropriate to note, however, that we are witnessing a clear demonstration of the cyclical volatility of the fortunes of national models (see Chapter 1 of this volume). The decade of New Labour could be argued to be the UK’s glory years, with high employment combined with some renewal of its social model, even if the underlying weaknesses of the model could be clearly identified. The focus of this chapter is on understanding the factors behind the New Labour boom period and the extent to which its characteristics both reinforced and redefined the UK model as an example of neoliberal capitalism and a residual welfare state.

The Organization of Working Time in the Knowledge Economy: An Insight into the Working Time Patterns of Consultants in the UK and the USA

The development of the knowledge economy is creating new and diverse working time patterns. This study uses survey and qualitative interview data from consultants operating as organizational employees, as well as those acting as freelance contractors to explore the organization of working time among knowledge workers in the UK and the USA. The findings reveal how these forms of employment and national context shape and produce complex nuances in the working patterns and experiences of these important highly skilled workers.

Gender, careers and flexibility in consultancies in the UK and the USA: a multi-level relational analysis

Management consultants are a core group of knowledge workers, and interest in their work and the organisational environment in which they operate has intensified. However, the role of policies at a national and organisational level in influencing gender regimes in this field of work remains unclear. This paper examines the organisation of careers and flexibility from the perspective of management consultants from the UK and US offices of two case study firms. The findings cast light on the role of macro- and meso-level policies together with the characteristics of the occupation and its client-focus in gendering careers and flexibility. These outcomes point to the need for the structures and policies supporting women and flexible working in these types of firms to be modified accordingly, particularly given that these firms make recommendations to clients nationally and internationally.

Does the UK have a 'comparative institutional advantage' that is supportive of the IT services sector?

This paper applies a ‘sector-in-country’ approach to examine the institutional conditions associated with the recent expansion of the information technology services sector in the UK. The findings reveal both synergies and tensions between the business and employment conditions of the sector and the wider institutional characteristics of the UK employment model.

Using involvement to enhance employee engagement in IT firms: examining leadership initiatives in a key developing national context

Many organisational leaders increasingly use employee involvement to serve their interests, spurred by the unitarist rationale of leader‐member exchange (LMX). Existing research into employee involvement and participation (EIP) management has mainly focused on manufacturing firms in advanced economies and has not kept pace with developments in settings where practice is primarily governed by organisational leaders plus greater use is made of informal and technologically assisted EIP. Consequently, this paper investigates the management of EIP in IT firms at the forefront of these developments in India. The findings reveal how an array of informal initiatives, including social media, are being used to permeate traditional LMX and EIP boundaries to reinforce unitarist leadership goals. Limitations to some of these initiatives are elucidated, as they are unevenly used and contested by employees. Thus, the paper contributes to critiques of LMX as an ancillary framework for EIP.

The management of diversity and inclusion in an emerging tech environment

Claims advanced by the business case and resource-based perspectives suggest that extensive human resource diversity offers the scope to enhance organizational performance. However, relatively litt...