Several studies have acknowledged that lean production is implemented in diverse ways across workplaces, thereby generating different outcomes for workers. However, explanations for this variability needs further development. The present article addresses this issue by considering the role played by workplace unions' framing of lean production. It finds that unions' framing is derived from their identities in interaction with available resources in institutional and organisational terms. A case study comparison of the automotive parts industry in Italy and the United States was conducted.

This article analyses variation in the use of temporary labour based on a comparison of two plants of the same US automotive multinational corporation, one in Italy and the other in the United States. We argue that differences in the use of temporary labour are explained by union capacities to make trade‐offs between alternative forms of flexibility as well as trade‐offs in the protection of internal and external groups of workers. Union capacity is dependent on the availability of power resources within different national institutional environments. These resources are shown to influence not only the ways in which temporary workers are used but also bargaining outcomes — including employment conditions — benefiting them.

* Our thanks go to the organizations and to the people who have participated in the interview for this research. We also thank Flaviano Zandonai for his early suggestions on relevant cases. Finally, we would like to thank the Editors of this Journal and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate an empirical model of how small, family-owned companies can overcome the barriers that have been shown in different disciplines to hinder the implementation of lean production in this category of enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study involving five carefully selected small manufacturing firms operating in Northern Italy was conducted through interviews with key managers and visits inside plants. This data was integrated by a specific seminar and by interviews with unions and training specialists. Findings The resulting empirical model highlights the significance of social relations among small entrepreneurs in overcoming any lack of commitment towards lean changes, the role of consultants and practical training in breaking the barrier of resource constraints and the channelling and control of employee involvement to encourage their participation in lean activities. Unions, when present, also play a role in preventing situations of excessive work intensity. Important variants within this common model also emerged among small firms on the grounds of their structure (e.g. size), product market conditions and managerial choices. Practical implications Knowledge on how to overcome the barriers to lean production implementation can help social actors both inside and outside of differently characterised small firms which are implementing, or intending to implement, the lean approach. Originality/value There is no existing literature on the subject of successful application of lean methods in small enterprises. The uniqueness of this paper’s contribution is reinforced by its broad analytical perspective on the lean system, stemming from an interdisciplinary analysis of different bodies of literature, including management, operations, human resources and employment relations in line with the definition of the lean system.

Atypical work has been proven to worsen employment conditions, reduce labour productivity and hinder firms from competing in higher quality market segments, yet companies still hire atypical workers to provide flexibility in response to unstable market conditions. Previous research has examined the relationship between specific job features and the incidence of atypical work. Using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis technique, we analysed interviews of service firms' managers to identify configurations that limit the use of atypical workers. We found evidence that firms limit the use of atypical contracts not only in cases of firm-specific and complex tasks but also in cases of simple and nonspecific tasks when supported by human resource management practices that aim to increase internal flexibility. Firms can take advantage of a stable workforce by strategically using human resource management flexibility practices as an alternative to labour market flexibility.

The article analyses local collective bargaining in seven medium-sized manufacturing firms operating in Northern Italy. The goals are to understand, within an international perspective, the degree of development of Italian MEs' collective bargaining, and its outcomes in the construction of participative industrial relations and innovative forms of work organisation. The analysis highlights a 'low-decentralised collective bargaining system', where the concrete regulatory space exerted by company collective contracts is usually limited. Then, industrial relations turn out to be characterised neither by participation nor by conflict, from which come forms of work organisation based on a good quantitative mutual availability, like overtime and related payments, among social actors, but with poor results in terms of more qualitative aspects. Institutions and the prevailing culture of industrial relations turn out to be the main explanatory factors, requiring a more profound reflection on the Italian system of industrial relations.

The recent labor reforms implemented in Italy by the so-called "technocratic" Monti Government have challenged the traditional role of trade unions. On one side, the reforms in the pension and labor market have been approved without real consultation or bargaining with social parties, under the pressures from the financial and economic crisis and the austerity demanded by the EU central authorities. On the other side, the Government is urging trade unions to contribute to stimulating labor productivity in order to produce more growth and escape from such a long period of recession. The main aim of this article is to analyze the changing role of trade unions and then the real opportunities to open a new phase of social concertation, also taking into account the historical background of Italian industrial relations.

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