Conceptualising employee voice in the majority world: Using multiple intellectual traditions inspired by the work of Mick Marchington

Olowookere

Employee Voice in the Global North

et al. 2023

Research on the topic of employment relations often adopts analytical frameworks related mainly to the concept of 'voice'. While originally defined as the effort to effect change by Albert Hirschman, the meaning and conceptualisations of the term 'voice' have evolved over the years. Later writers such as Freeman and Medoff describe the concept from the point of view of union monopoly of representation, i.e., union articulation of workers' concern. In this chapter, we present a synthesis and overview of some of the early conceptualisations of employee voice and unionism in the United Kingdom. Our goal extends beyond simply sketching or cataloguing the historical analysis around voice, to using this analysis as an instrument for understanding the current state and projecting into the future of employee voice and unionism in the United Kingdom. The chapter reveals that the concept of voice has been significantly reinvented by modern-day scholars. The chapter will heavily depend on a review of extant literature. It would, however, be impossible to synthesise the entire literature on voice in this short chapter. Hence, there will be a significant focus on the United Kingdom experience and authors, howbeit, other authors based elsewhere may be selectively included. The study concludes that though employee voice is relevant today, in most cases it only serves the interest of management and where this is not the case management hardly pays any attention to it. The study revealed further that during permacrisis, there is little or no attempt on the part of the management to attention to or implement the demand expressed in employee voice.

Section: Organisational Behaviour and Industrial Relations Conceptual...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Conceptualisation of Employee Voice in Permacrisis: A UK Perspective

Olowookere

Employee Voice in the Global North

et al. 2023

“…Employee participation can be defined as any process in the workplace that allows employees to exert some influence on their work and the conditions in which they work (Ghani & Malik, 2022;De Reuver et al, 2021;Markey & Hodgkinson, 2003). Participation has a large variety of forms and meanings including: employee participation (Hosseini & Sabokro, 2022;Dibben et al, 2022;Dundon et al, 2022;Llorens-Serrano et al, 2022;De Reuver et al, 2021;Sirianni, 1987), self-management (Llorens-Serrano et al, 2022;Appelbaum et al, 2001), codetermination (Breitling & Scholl, 2022;Vitols, 2021), and employees' voice (Hosseini & Sabokro, 2022;Dibben et al, 2022;Ghani & Malik, 2022;Child, 2021;Kim & Leach, 2020;Song et al, 2018;Dundon et al, 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also distinguish forms of direct and indirect participation (Dibben et al, 2022;Llorens-Serrano et al, 2022;Child, 2021;Ben Rehouma, 2020;Baran & Sypniewska, 2020;Kandathil & Joseph, 2019). A direct form of participation is the participation of front-line employees, taking the floor and making decisions (Grieco & Bripi, 2022;Nawakitphaitoon & Zhang, 2021;Dibben et al, 2022;Appelbaum et al, 2001), also through actions in informal, short-lived groups or formalised, autonomous work teams (Grieco & Bripi, 2022;Ben Rehouma, 2020;Marchington, 2009;Markey & Hodgkinson, 2003), in quality circles, as well as in individual consultations with employees, direct (face to face consultation) or indirect (arm's length consultation). An especially important form of direct participation is authorisation delegating, usually divided into delegation to teams and delegation to individual employees (Child, 2021;Skorupińska, 2013).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multivariate approach towards the measurement of active employee participation in the area of occupational health and safety in different sectors of the economy

Boczkowska

Niziołek

Roszko‐Wójtowicz

2022

Research background: Despite a dynamically growing exploration of broadly understood employee participation, there is still space left for more in-depth or new analyses in this area, and occupational health and safety (OHS) serves as a good example in this respect. In empirical studies, employee participation in the field of occupational health and safety is not treated as a separate element of ensuring safety in the organisation, but only as a minor element of occupational health and safety management, or as just one of the elements building a safety culture. Purpose of the article: The aim of the paper is to propose a synthetic measure of active employee participation in OHS taking into account the depth and scope of this participation. A comparative analysis of the level of active participation of OHS at medical facilities and in other sectors of the economy was also performed. Methods: The theoretical model for active employee participation in OHS was tested by means of a survey using the PAPI (Paper & Pen Personal Interview) method. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used. The developed construct (characterised by an adequately high level of validity and reliability) was used in a comparative analysis of medical institutions with other sectors of the economy with the use of the Mann?Whitney U test. Findings & value added: This research fills the theoretical gap in the model approach to participation in OHS. It has been found (EFA and CFA analyses) that active employee participation in OHS consists of one dimension (15 items). The model for active employee participation in OHS and the universal measurement scale developed and validated in this study represent a step forward towards the effective and reliable measurement of employee participation. In addition, the research has shown that the level of active employee participation in OHS at medical facilities is lower than in other sectors of the economy. The added value of this paper results from the approach to measuring employee participation in OHS which takes into account the depth and scope of this participation. The tool is consistent with international regulations and standards in the field of OHS, and thus can be used in other countries to assess active employee participation in OHS, regardless of the size and profile of the company or the sector of the economy.

“…His work on New Zealand highlighted differences to the UK given the smaller number of large employers, and (pre‐Brexit) the lack of coverage by European law (Haynes et al., 2006). Although his comparative work never stretched as far as South Africa, it is interesting to reflect the influence of the broad scholarly project of pluralistic HRM, as a development of industrial relations (Dibben et al., 2022). In the 1980s, South Africa was characterised by a highly adversarial workplace environment; this led some to argue that even the term “industrial relations” brooked of compromise with the apartheid order.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…His work on New Zealand highlighted differences to the UK given the smaller number of large employers, and (pre-Brexit) the lack of coverage by European law (Haynes et al, 2006). Although his comparative work never stretched as far as South Africa, it is interesting to reflect the influence of the broad scholarly project of pluralistic HRM, as a development of industrial relations (Dibben et al, 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mick Marchington and his contributions to human resource management

Wilkinson

Budhwar

Wood

2023

Human Res Mgmt Journal

Mick Marchington's contributions to the field of human resource management (HRM) was considerable through his leadership, teaching and research. In the research arena he made significant contributions to the topics of employee voice, participation, and involvement as well as the future of work. A common thread to his research concerned humanising management and HRM through a pluralist value system. In this article we summarise his key contributions.