We analyze patterns of flexible employment among the highly qualified workforce in knowledge-intensive firms. Our conceptual starting point is the Flexible Firm that can be traced back to Atkinson. On the basis of a qualitative field study in ten organizations, we show different patterns in employment policy and highlight phenomena that go beyond Atkinson's concept. It becomes obvious that flexible contracting with an external workforce is a function of allocating expertise instead of gaining numerical flexibility and is furthermore rather driven by knowledge workers than by firms. For systemizing the results of our explorative field work we propose the model of an Amoebic Organization as an alternative flexibility concept.
Ménage à trios -The relevance of the customer in the psychological contract in project-based knowledge workThis paper deals with the psychological contract in knowledge-intensive employment arrangements where the project-based development of customer-specific solutions is decisive. We present results of a qualitative empirical study on the mutual expectations and obligations of workers and employers in this context. The results show that the customer is relevant as a third actor in the psychological contract for both contracting parties. Their mutual expectations of entrepreneurial behavior and loyalty are interdependent and considered as conducive to balance the assumed conflicts of triangular employment relationships.
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