Managing the Work Force:
International Perspectives
SMO 417Course Outline
Term: Winter, 2002 Instructor: Yonatan Reshef Room: B-05 Office: 3-30A W: 0900-1150 Office Hour: R 0900-1000
Course Description | Requirements & Grading |
Reading List | Country Presentations |
Term Paper | Comment Form |
Many managers looking for new sources of competitive advantage are discovering the importance of the quality of human resources and how they are managed. Seeking guidance as they undertake major changes in work organization and decision making, managers have looked to the approaches developed by their competitors in different national contexts. One important lesson is, piecemeal adoption of one or another element of a coherent production system is likely to have, at best, a small effect on firm performance. Significant performance improvement requires implementation of a coherent production system that draws on new sources of continuous improvement and that uses new forms of organizational learning to mobilize the knowledge and creativity of employees.
1. Class presentation 35%
A note on student contributions:
On the day of the presentation, before the presentation begins, every team member may (yes, this part of the course is voluntary) submit, a sheet with the team member names including his/her own. A contribution mark will appear next to each name. The mark ranges from 0 (exceptionally poor) to 10 (excellent), and it must have a brief explanation based on the following guidelines.
Dimension | Very Good Performance | Very Poor Performance |
Presence | S/he was present at all team meetings. | S/he was absent from all team meetings |
Preparation | S/he was always well prepared for team meetings | S/he was usually not prepared |
Contribution | S/he contributed in a significant way to the development of the presentation | S/he didn't contribute in a significant way to the development of the presentation |
Attitude | S/he was always respectful of others' ideas and comments | S/he was not interested in others' comments. S/he was not respectful of others' ideas and comments. |
Note, |
2. Mid-term Exam 25%
3. Term paper (Hard Copy; Must be Typed) 25% -- (Due on Friday, April 12, '02)
4. Participation 15%
To receive the full participation mark, students must attend at least 3 country presentations in addition to their own presentation. In other words, students may miss one presentation without losing any participation marks. Each additional missed presentation costs a third of the participation mark. Presence in a presentation means joining the class during its first 30 minutes (i.e., between 0900 - 0930) and staying throughout the presentation and following Q&A period (i.e., until 1150). Participation will also be judged based on the discussions which follow the presentations.
To pass the course, students must actively participate in a country presentation and follow-up discussions, write the mid-term exam,
receive at least 5.0% in participation, and submit
ON TIME
a hard copy of the final paper. A student who misses one of the above elements will fail the course. |
(Readings for weeks 1-4 and 12-13 are on reserve in Rutherford North, in a set of folders. Use the course number (ORGA 417) or my name (Y. Reshef) when asking for any of these folders). There is also a binder with the slides I use; for both binders, the author's name is Reshef Y.)
ABI - Article available off the Net at: http://ej.library.ualberta.ca/database/index.cfm?ID=61
For Off-Campus access to the ABI database, see:
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/remote/index.cfm
WEEK I-IV: A Framework for Understanding HRM Systems
A. Scientific Management & The Human Relations Movement
1. Frederick W. Taylor. 1985. The Principles of Scientific Management. Hive (2nd edition). 9-77, 128-132.
2. Mayo, Elton. 1945. The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilization. 1-56.
3. Henri Fayol. 1949. General and Industrial Management. London: Pitman. 19-42. *Note, this item is optional.
B. From Control to Commitment
4. Richard E. Walton. "From Control to Commitment in the Workplace," Harvard Business Review, Vol. 63, 2, March-April, 1985, 77-84.
5. E.E. Lawler III, and S.A. Mohrman. "High-Involvement Management," Organizational Dynamics, April 1987, 27-31.
6. David E. Bowen, and E.E. Lawler III. "Total Quality-Oriented Human Resources Management." Organizational Dynamics, (Spring), 1992, 29-41.
USEFUL CASES
7a. Ricardo Semler. "Managing without Managers." Harvard Business Review,
September-October, 1989, 76-84.
7b. Ralph Stayer. "How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead." Harvard Business Review, November-December, 1990, 66-83.
C. The High-Performance Work System
8. Gordon Betcherman et al. 1994. The Canadian Workplace in Transition. Kingston, Ont.: IRC. (Chapters 1 & 6).
9. A Note on Quality: The Views of Deming, Juran, and Crosby. Harvard Business School.
10. Larry W. Hunter. "Choices and the High-Performance Workplace." Mastering Management, Part 11. The Financial Post (also available on-line.)
WEEK V: An Overview:
England, Sweden, Germany, France, and Japan
WEEK VI: MID-TERM
WEEK VII: MANAGING EXPATRIATES
WEEK VIII - XII: Country Presentations
Recent general resources:
Anthony Ferner and Richard Hyman (eds.). 1998 (2nd edition.). Changing Industrial Relations in Europe. Blackwell.
Andrew Martin and George Ross (eds.). 1999. The Brave New World of European Labor. New York: Berghahn Books.
Harry C. Katz and Owen Darbishire. 2000. Converging Divergences: Worldwide Changes in Employment Systems. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Greg J. Bamber, Russell D. Lansbury, and Nick Wailes (eds.). 2004 (4th edition). International and Comparative Industrial Relations. Sage. (Note the chronology of events at the end of each chapter)
Sanford M. Jacoby. 2005. The Embedded Corporation: Corporation Governance and Employment Relations in Japan and the United States. Princeton University Press.
England
Christel Lane. 1989. Management and Labor in Europe: The Industrial Enterprise in Germany, Britain and France. Edward Elgar.
W. Brown, "The Effect of Recent Changes in the World Economy in British IR," IR in a Decade of Economic Change, IRRA, 1985, ch. 5, pp. 151-176.
Leonard Rico, "The New Industrial Relations: British Electricians' New-Style Agreements," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 41, 1, 1987, 63-77.
Brian Towers, "Running the Gauntlet: British Trade Unions Under Thatcher, 1979-1988," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 42, 2, 1989, 163-188.
Brian Towers, "Trends and Developments in Industrial Relations: Derecognizing Trade Unions: Implications and Consequences," Industrial Relations Journal, Vol. 19, 3, 1988, 181-185.
J.R. Shackleton, "Industrial Relations Reform in Britain since 1979," Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 19, 3, 1998, 581-605.
Stephen Wood and John Godard. "The Statutory Union Recognition procedure in the Employment Relations Bill: A Comparative Analysis." British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 37, 2, 1999, 203-245. (See also in this issue, articles by Mertcalf and Undy.)
Sweden
R.B. Peterson, "Economic and Political Impacts on the Swedish Model of IR", in IR in a Decade of Economic Change, IRRA, 1985, pp. 301-336.
R. Meidner, "Collective Asset Formation Through Wage-Earner Funds", International Labour Review, Vol 120, 3, May-June 1981, pp. 303-317.
H.G. Myrdal, "Collective Wage-Earner Funds in Sweden", International Labour Review, Vol. 20, 3, May-June 1981, pp. 319-33.
Kristina Ahlen "Swedish Collective Bargaining Under Pressure: Inter-Union Rivalry and Incomes Policies," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 27, 3, 1989, 330-346.
W. Korpi, The Working Class in Welfare Capitalism, 1980, pp. 76-108.
Nils Elvander. 2001. A New Swedish Regime for Collective Bargaining and Conflict Resolution. Paper presented at the International Industrial Relations Association 6th European Congress, 25-29 June, Oslo. Download.
Germany
W. Streeck, "Co-Determination: the Fourth Decade," in B. Wilpert and A. Sorge, International Perspectives on Organizational Democracy, 1984, ch. 19, pp. 391-422.
Christel Lane. 1989. Management and Labor in Europe: The Industrial Enterprise in Germany, Britain and France. Edward Elgar.
K. Wever. 1995. Negotiating Competitiveness: Employment Relations and Organizational Innovation in Germany and the United States. Harvard.
John T. Addison, Kornelius Kraft & Joachim Wagner, "German Works Councils and Firm Performance." In B. Kaufman & M. Kleiner (eds)., Employee Representation, 1993, 305-338.
Dieter Sadowski, Uchi Backes-Gellner & Brend Frick, "Works Councils: Barriers or Boosts for the Competitiveness of German Firms?" British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 33, 3, 1995, pp. 493-513.
Felix R. FitzRoy & Kornelius Kraft, "Economic Effects of Codetermination." Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Vol. 95, 1993, pp. 365-375.
John T. Addison, Claus Schanbel, and Joachim Wagner. "On the Determinants of Mandatory Works Councils in Germany." Industrial Relations, 1997, Vol. 36, pp. 419-445.
Anke Hassel. "The Erosion of the German System of Industrial Relations." British Journal of Industrial Relations, 1999, Vol. 37, 3, pp. 483-505.
Virginia Doellgast & Ian Greer. "Vertical Disintegration and the Disorganization of German IR." British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2007, Vol. 45, March, pp. 55-76.
France
Edward Shorter & Charles Tilly. 1974. Strikes in France: 1830-1968. Cambridge University.
Christel Lane. 1989. Management and Labor in Europe: The Industrial Enterprise in Germany, Britain and France. Edward Elgar.
W. Rand Smith, "Dynamics of Plural Unionism in France: The CGT, CFDT and Industrial Conflict," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 22, 1, 1984, pp. 15-33.
J. D. Reynaud, "Trade Unions and Political Parties in France: Some Recent Trends," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 28, 2, 1975, pp. 208-225.
J.L. Barsoux & P. Lawrence. 1990. Management In France. Cassell.
Jean-Francois Amadieu, "Industrial Relations: Is France a Special Case?" British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 33, 3, 1995, pp. 345-352.
Steve Jefferys, "Down But Not Out: French Unions after Chirac." Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 10, 3, 1996, pp. 509-527.
Steve Jefferys, "France 1995: The Backward March of Labour Halted?" Capital and Society, Vol. 59, Summer, 1996, 7-21.
Steve Jeffrys. 2001. Wage Determination and the French State. Paper presented at the International Industrial Relations Association 6th European Congress, June 25-29, Oslo. Download
Japan
Hanami, Tadashi, Labor Relations in Japan Today, 1979.
For some excellent information on the historical development of the Japanese management system see, Business History, Vol. 37, 2, April, 1995 (the whole issue).
Tsuyoshi Tsuru & James B. Rebitzer, "The Limits of Enterprise Unions: Prospects for Continuing Union Decline in Japan." British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 33, 3, 1995, pp. 459-492.
Motohiro Morishima, "The Evolution of White-Collar HRM in Japan." Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, Vol. 7, 1996, pp. 145-176.
Hiromichi Shibata, "A Comparison of American and Japanese Work Practices: Skill Formation, Communications, and Conflict Resolution." Industrial Relations, Vol. 38, 1999, pp. 192-214.
Sanford M. Jacoby, Emily M. Nason, & Kazuro Saguchi, "The Role of the Senior HR Executive in Japan and the United States: Employment Relations, Corporate Governance, and Values." Industrial Relations, Vol. 44, 2005, pp. 207-241.
Japan Labor Review. Special Issue on the Future of the Performance-Based Pay System in Japan. Volume 4, No. 2, Spring 2007. Especially: Shingo Tatsumichi and Motohiro Morishima. "Seikashugi from an Employee Perspective," pp. 79-104.
WEEK XIII: The Future of HRM
12.1 Edward E. Lawler III and Susan A. Mohrman. "Unions and the New Management," Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 1, 1987, 293-300. ABI
12.2 Paul S. Adler. "From Taylorism to Teamwork." Perspectives on Work, Vol. 1, 1, 1997, 61-65.
12.3 Herman Rosenfeld. "Team Concept at CAMI." Canadian Dimension, Jan/Feb, 1993, 21-24.
Term Paper
HERE
ARE SOME MORE POINTERS ABOUT THE TERM PAPER
Country Presentations
HERE ARE SOME MORE POINTERS ABOUT THE COUNTRY PRESENTATIONS
Country Presentations--A
Suggested Outline
A. The Setting
- Economic
- Political
- Legal
- Social
B. The HRM System
- HRM Flow -- recruiting, training, retaining
- Reward System -- monetary vs. non-monetary
- Worker Influence -- employee involvement in decision making, indirect
involvement (through representatives)
- Work Design -- assembly line, teamwork
C. The Work System
- How all the elements of the HRM system hang together
- The fit between the HRM system and its environment
D. Lessons For Canada
- HRM/IR practices/institutions you would like
to see in Canada. Why?
- The likelihood of their adoption in Canada.
Why?
- HRM/IR practices that should not be imported
to Canada. Why?
PRINT COUNTRY (circle): GB SW GER FR JP Mark (should be filled after the last presentation) _______
1. Statement of goals and agenda for presentation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Specification and coverage of major IR and HRM issues and concepts ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Current events
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Response to questions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Overall impression ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following the last presentation, you will have to rank all of the presentations (except yours) on a 6-10 scale. To help you fairly rank the presentations, please write down extensive comments.