Globalised management and local labour: the case of the white‐goods industry in Turkey

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the situation where goods are produced by workers in underdeveloped countries, in this case, consumer durables, under the direction of managements which have access to modern management techniques. In particular, it considers the significance of new management methods, especially Total Quality Management, for workers employed in whitegoods manufacture in Turkey.

The Cultural Orientations of Entrepreneurs and Employees’ Job Satisfaction: The Turkish Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Case

“…Workers tend to follow the decisions made by their employer, whom they see as someone with a higher status and more knowledge than themselves. It has been found that workers do not approve invitations for sharing the authority, for example when they are asked to participate in decisions or to take charge of a management position (Nichols et al 2002). Workers seem to prefer to be the performing hand of an entrepreneur who thinks of the right things on their behalf.…”

“…, found that Turkish workers perceive their manager as a ''father'' or a protector and indicated that this perception, together with high power distance, could be advantageous for improving the relationships in the workplace and the job satisfaction of the individual worker. Nichols et al (2002) investigating modern management practices such as quality circles and total quality management (TQM) in three industrial districts of Turkey producing household goods determined that the most satisfied workers among them were from Bolu district where the top management of big firms generally exhibited paternalistic tendencies. According to the study, these managers set up ''coffee houses'' and provided bus services to take workers to Friday prayer, which is one of the fundamental rituals of Islam.…”

Competency Approach to Human Resources Management: Outcomes and Contributions in a Turkish Cultural Context

“…This applies to the Turkish cultural context where private business has been based on family ownership since the 1940s. Today there is an emergence of the professional management perspective in which businesses are more oriented toward adopting international management theo- 86 Human Resource Development Review / March 2006 ries and practices (Nichols, Sugur, & Demir, 2002). The important concern here is in what respect these professional managers know and implement these management practices.…”

Signs of change in Turkey's working class: workers' age-related perceptions in the modern manufacturing sector*

“…A comparison of the Turkish and British results suggests Turkish workers generally are more likely to depict relations between management and employees in positive terms than British workers are (Table VI). The general tendency for Turkish workers to rate their managements higher than British workers has to be understood in relation to the fact that the big company sector in Turkey generally provides better conditions than the small private and informal sectors of the economy which form the backcloth against which these workers' expectations have often been formed (Nichols, Sugur and Demir 2002a).…”