Gain and Pain: The Effects of Australian Public Sector Restructuring

Dunford, Richard; Bramble, Tom; Littler, Craig R.

doi:10.2307/3380547

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Dieses Maß-nahmenpaket wird nicht nur als eine Reaktion auf Umwelteinflüsse angesehen, sondern als eine vom Unternehmen bewusst geplante und durchgeführte Managementstrategie, die neben dem Personalbestand u.a. die Kostensituation und die Arbeitsprozesse des Unternehmens beeinflusst (Cameron, 1994;Dunford, Bramble & Littler, 1998). Als mög-liche Ziele eines Downsizings kommen u.a.…”

Section: Downsizingunclassified

Auswirkungen von Downsizing-Maßnahmen auf das organisationale Commitment der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter: Ein Vorher-Nachher-Vergleich

2003

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Auswirkungen von Downsizing-Maßnahmen auf das organisationale Commitment der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter: Ein Vorher-Nachher-VergleichIn einem mittelständischen Telekommunikationsunternehmen wurden die Auswirkungen betrieblicher Umstrukturierungen, die mit Personalabbau einhergingen ("Downsizing"), auf das organisationale Commitment, die Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit und -motivation der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter ("Survivors") untersucht. Die Erhebung des organisationalen Commitments basierte auf einem im Rahmen des Dreikomponentenmodells von Allen und Meyer (1990) entwickelten Instrument. Die Mitarbeiter wurden fünf Monate vor (n=150) und elf Monate nach (n=160) Beginn der Downsizing-Maßnahmen schriftlich befragt. Der Stellenabbau fand nicht in dem untersuchten Unternehmen, sondern in einer zur selben Holding gehörenden Schwesterfirma statt. Dennoch verschlechterte sich das affektive Commitment, d.h. die emotionale Bindung zu dem Unternehmen verringerte sich. Das abwägende sowie das normative Commitment blieben hingegen stabil. Zudem gab fast jeder zweite Survivor reduzierte Arbeitszufriedenheit und -motivation an. Obwohl direkt vor Ort keine Stellen abgebaut wurden, wurde die emotionale Bindung der Mitarbeiter zu dem Unternehmen beeinträchtigt. Zusätzliche Befunde aus qualitativen Interviews deuten daraufhin, dass die Umstrukturierung als Bruch mit der bisherigen Unternehmenskultur bzw. des "psychologischen Vertrages" erlebt wurde und zudem eine Verschlechterung der Arbeitssituation durch Arbeitsverdichtung resultierte.This study examines the consequences of downsizing efforts on organizational commitment, job satisfaction and work motivation of the remaining workforce ("survivors") in a middle-sized telecommunication company. Employees were surveyed five months prior to the downsizing process (n=150) and eleven months thereafter (n=160). The assessment of organizational commitment was based on a questionnaire that was developed by Allen and Meyer (1990) within the scope of their three-componentsmodel which includes affective, continuous and normative commitment. Although layoffs -as one part of the whole downsizing process -were not implemented in the investigated company, but only in a sister enterprise, which is part of the same holding, the affective commitment of employees towards their corporation dropped. On the other hand, the normative and the balanced commitment remained constant. Moreover, every second survivor showed reduced job satisfaction and work motivation. It should be noted that although the results of reorganisation and restructuring did not directly affect the employees of the investigated company, the emotional linkage between employees and employer was affected in a negative way. Additional findings from qualitative interviews suggest that restructuring was perceived to cause a crack in the prevailing corporate culture and the psychological contract. In addition, a deterioration of work conditions through work overload resulted.

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Section: Downsizingunclassified

Auswirkungen von Downsizing-Maßnahmen auf das organisationale Commitment der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter: Ein Vorher-Nachher-Vergleich

2003

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“…T hroughout the 1980s and 1990s, managerialism was introduced worldwide, with government action aimed at reducing the size of the government, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector, improving the responsiveness of government agencies to their customers, decreasing expenditure, improving managers' accountability, and changing the focus of industrial relations (Dunford, Bramble, & Littler, 1998;Fairbrother, Paddon, & Teicher, 2002). In particular, in both Australia and Italy, similar pressures for change were evident although each country's reforms had their own characteristics (Aulich & Hein, 2005;Fattore, 1999;France, Taroni, & Donatini, 2005;Parliamentary Library;Trento, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

International perspectives on backsourcing in health

Macinati

Young

2009

Health Care Management Review

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“…An equally troubling outcome may be the potentially irreversible damage to the psychological contract of those who have remained in the sector (Dunford et al. ). This is likely to have an ongoing impact on the provision of public services and morale within and commitment to the sector (Armstrong‐Stassen and Schlosser ; Castaing ) as those public employees who subscribe to the public service ethic are the most vulnerable to strong feelings of violation (Feldheim ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scott (2015) has suggested that the treatment of the public service during this period had the potential to make public servants more risk adverse June 2018 and less inclined to provide the frank and fearless advice that makes good government. An equally troubling outcome may be the potentially irreversible damage to the psychological contract of those who have remained in the sector (Dunford et al 1998). This is likely to have an ongoing impact on the provision of public services and morale within and commitment to the sector (Armstrong-Stassen and Schlosser 2011 ;Castaing 2006) as those public employees who subscribe to the public service ethic are the most vulnerable to strong feelings of violation (Feldheim 2007).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This experience is not unique to Queensland and the Newman era; indeed, it has been suggested that little has been learned from the traumatic downsizing in the Australian public service in the early to mid‐1990s where those change processes were also handled in a particularly (and perhaps unnecessarily) stressful manner (Dunford et al. ). As such, we reflect on the process of change and its effects by framing the discussion around Peele's six dimensions of political leadership.…”

Section: Discussion: Political Leadership Of Public Service Changementioning

confidence: 99%

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Of ‘Strong’ Leadership, Crisis Communication, and Pooper Scoopers: Change in the Queensland Public Service Under Newman

Grant-Smith

Colley²

2018

Aust J Public Adm

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Governments have historically offered their workforce a public service bargain founded on stable pay and conditions and job security. However, while the Westminster system aims for public service employment to be protected from the whims of government, public servants are nonetheless affected by the political environment in which they operate and changes to this bargain can occur with a new government. This paper focuses on a Queensland public service change process that resulted in large‐scale forced redundancies, non‐renewal of temporary contracts, and legislative changes that nullified the provisions in job security, organisational change, and redundancy policies. Using communication as a lens through which to understand leadership, it examines how the government communicated with the public service about this organisational change, immediately before and after the 2012 election. In particular, through analysis of public and media commentary, speeches and Hansard records, it examines Premier Newman's change leadership and communication by contrasting pre‐election messages to the public service with post‐election messages about the public service and the justifications for change during this period of downsizing. This analysis is used to reflect on political leadership, communication, fair treatment, and trust in public service change.

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Gain and Pain: The Effects of Australian Public Sector Restructuring

Cited by 20 publications

References 0 publications

Auswirkungen von Downsizing-Maßnahmen auf das organisationale Commitment der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter: Ein Vorher-Nachher-Vergleich

Auswirkungen von Downsizing-Maßnahmen auf das organisationale Commitment der verbleibenden Mitarbeiter: Ein Vorher-Nachher-Vergleich

International perspectives on backsourcing in health

Of ‘Strong’ Leadership, Crisis Communication, and Pooper Scoopers: Change in the Queensland Public Service Under Newman

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