In search of theory? The workplace case study tradition in the 21st century

McGovern, Patrick

doi:10.1111/irj.12285

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Addressing societal problems implies that we must become much better at synergising quantitative and qualitative methods Guest, 2011). This includes recognising where in-depth qualitative research is essential to interpret the deeper, more subjective elements of the context (Cooke, 2018) but also where case-based research would benefit from much better theorisation, as recently argued in respect of qualitative studies of the workplace in industrial relations (McGovern, 2020). It includes the need to include a serious degree of qualitative data to appropriately customise quantitative research or to help understand the issues of causality it raises (e.g., Benders et al, 2019;Garmendia et al, 2020;van Loon et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying mutuality and perversity in the impacts of human resource management on societal well‐being: Advancing a pluralist agenda

Boxall

2021

Human Res Mgmt Journal

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Situated within a societal perspective on human resource management (HRM), this paper asks how HRM academics can make a better contribution to understanding the impacts of HRM on societal well-being. It argues that we should target the 'so what?' questions that matter to society, including important issues of employer-employee misalignment and of perverse alignment ('perverseperformance work systems'). It calls for an approach to societal issues in HRM that is problem-focused and theoryinformed. While recognising some validity to the criticisms of academic HRM raised in the 'psychologisation' debate, the article argues that the critique is over-generalised and contests the idea that the concern of HRM academics with enhancing workplace mutuality is an expression of a unitarist ideology. Mutuality and unitarism should not be conflated. In advancing a pluralist agenda, it argues that we must become better at theoretical integration, at synergising our research methods and at engaging constructively with practitioners and policy makers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying mutuality and perversity in the impacts of human resource management on societal well‐being: Advancing a pluralist agenda

Boxall

2021

Human Res Mgmt Journal

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“…We then move to the UK, where instead all FoR are well established -even predating Fox's categorisation, as Hyman's (1978) widely debated 'pluralism's pluralism' illustrates. Such debates, however, have largely overlooked the connections between employment relations and social policy, focusing on the former for three reasons: an intellectual tradition marked by workplace case study (McGovern, 2020); some reluctance, justified by the Oxford pluralist school with the reference to 'voluntarism', to appreciate the state-political arena (Ackers and Wilkinson, 2005;Howell, 2005); the presence of critical thinkers reproducing a rather 'orthodox' version of Marxist thought, interested in economic militancy at the shopfloor level but overlooking those broader links between work and society that inspired Gramscian and Eurocommunist approaches (Ackers and Wilkinson, 2005;Ackers, 2014). Finally, the last intellectual mainstream relates to corporatist theories, largely about Continental Europe.…”

Section: Reviewing Debating and Expanding Frames Of Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Framing work and welfare: Insights from the growing relevance of company welfare in Italy

Gasparri

2020

Journal of Industrial Relations

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This article applies the concept of frames of reference to contemporary work and welfare dynamics by focusing on the growing relevance of company welfare in Italy after the 2008 crisis. The analysis considers how this occurred along three phases: in the first, a path-breaking case, Luxottica, demonstrates the potential of company welfare; then, Renzi’s government promotes company welfare through tax breaks; finally, trade unions try to affect the diffusion of company welfare, displaying contrasting ideologies as well as pragmatic joint solutions in the process. Overall, two contiguous sub-frames – consultative unitarism and collaborative pluralism – offer the mainstream justification to the events and the policy debate around them, a debate in which the industrial relations scholarship played a key role. However, a critical interpretation is present too, suggesting that the relevance of company welfare is driven by the mobilisation of a political and economic elite and results in few cases of positive employment relations alongside broad social and economic imbalances.

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Vulnerability, resilience and empowerment: the tripartite typology for addressing modern slavery in global value chains

Kubacki,

Szablewska,

Siemieniako

et al. 2024

CPOIB

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Purpose Modern slavery in global value chains is an emerging topic of interest across various fields, including in international business, but is often fragmented in its approach. This study aims to provide a practical framework for studying relationships between participants in global value chains by exploring the nexus of three concepts – vulnerability, resilience and empowerment (VRE) – in the context of modern slavery. Design/methodology/approach This article offers a deductive thematic analysis of 51 empirical and conceptual business research studies on modern slavery in global value chains published until mid-2021 according to the three categories of interest at the micro (within individuals and organisations), meso (between individuals and organisations) and macro (structural) levels. Findings The findings have informed the development of three themes, each of which is an opportunity for future research with clear policy implications: a reductionist approach to vulnerability obscures its complexity; externalising the empowerment process and locating it outside of the agency of workers serves to further disempower them; and focusing exclusively on organisational resilience conceals the essentiality of resilience within individuals, communities and societies. Originality/value This article is among the first to extend the focus of business literature on modern slavery in global value chains beyond its current largely facile engagement with VRE, offering an original descriptive VRE typology to engage with the nexus between these three concepts.

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In search of theory? The workplace case study tradition in the 21st century

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Studying mutuality and perversity in the impacts of human resource management on societal well‐being: Advancing a pluralist agenda

Studying mutuality and perversity in the impacts of human resource management on societal well‐being: Advancing a pluralist agenda

Framing work and welfare: Insights from the growing relevance of company welfare in Italy

Vulnerability, resilience and empowerment: the tripartite typology for addressing modern slavery in global value chains

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