Total quality management is often presented as a new and coherent
philosophy of organization and management which looks holistically at
organizations. Yet there would appear to be gaping holes between the
necessary and sufficient conditions for TQM which rhetoric serves only
to obscure. Concentrates on the culture issue facing organizations and
warns against TQM “solutions” which operate at a surface level only within
organizations. Highlights the culture trap of management whereby
managers develop their own views of organizational reality which may
bear no relation to the views held by employees.
This article examines the emergence and development of HRM-based change within two private sector manufacturing organizations. We draw upon discourse theory to open up fresh insights into the uncertain and complex nature of organizational change, specifically the socially contested nature of HRM and the essentially fluid nature of organizational discourse. We present a conceptual framework that depicts HRM-based change in the form of multi-layered ‘conversations’, drawing attention to the collaborative and discursive processes by which individuals construct their knowledge and understanding of their organizational world. Our conclusions point to the need for a more critical treatment of the creative and dynamic nature of organizational discourse and of employee perceptions and experiences of HRM-based change.
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