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Contested Resources: Unions, Employers, and the Adoption of New Work Practices in US and UK Telecommunications

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  • Matias Ramirez
  • Frederick Guy
  • David Beale

Abstract

The pattern of adoption of high‐performance work practices has been explained in terms of strategic contingency and in terms of union presence. We compare the post‐deregulation/privatization changes in work practice at AT&T, Bell Atlantic and British Telecom. On the basis of these cases, we argue that the choice of new work practices should be understood as a consequence not only of the company's resources or changes in its environment, nor of a simple union presence, but also as a consequence of the practices' effects on union power, the nature of the union's engagement, and the union's strategic choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Matias Ramirez & Frederick Guy & David Beale, 2007. "Contested Resources: Unions, Employers, and the Adoption of New Work Practices in US and UK Telecommunications," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 45(3), pages 495-517, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:45:y:2007:i:3:p:495-517
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2007.00625.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jack Fiorito, 2001. "Human Resource Management Practices and Worker Desires for Union Representation," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 22(2), pages 335-354, April.
    2. Sandra E. Black & Lisa M. Lynch, 2001. "How To Compete: The Impact Of Workplace Practices And Information Technology On Productivity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(3), pages 434-445, August.
    3. Ann C. Frost, 2001. "Reconceptualizing Local Union Responses to Workplace Restructuring in North America," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 39(4), pages 539-564, December.
    4. Stephen Machin & Stephen Wood, 2005. "Human Resource Management as a Substitute for Trade Unions in British Workplaces," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 58(2), pages 201-218, January.
    5. John Godard, 2004. "A Critical Assessment of the High‐Performance Paradigm," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 349-378, June.
    6. Harold M. Levinson, 1960. "Pattern Bargaining: A Case Study of the Automobile Workers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 74(2), pages 296-317.
    7. Harvie Ramsay & Dora Scholarios & Bill Harley, 2000. "Employees and High‐Performance Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 501-531, December.
    8. Mari Sako & Gregory Jackson, 2006. "Strategy Meets Institutions: The Transformation of Management-Labor Relations at Deutsche Telekom and Ntt," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 59(3), pages 347-366, April.
    9. John Paul Macduffie, 1995. "Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance: Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 48(2), pages 197-221, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Frederick Guy & Peter Skott, 2008. "Power, Productivity, and Profits," Springer Books, in: Matthew Braham & Frank Steffen (ed.), Power, Freedom, and Voting, chapter 20, pages 385-403, Springer.
    2. Ollo-López, Andrea & Bayo-Moriones, Alberto & Larraza-Kintana, Martín, 2011. "The impact of country-level factors on the use of new work practices," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 394-403, July.
    3. Virginia Doellgast, 2010. "Collective Voice under Decentralized Bargaining: A Comparative Study of Work Reorganization in US and German Call Centres," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 48(2), pages 375-399, June.

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