Solving the Labour Problem Among Professional Workers in the UK Public Sector: Organisation Change and Performance Management

Worrall, Les; Mather, Kim; Seifert, Roger

doi:10.1007/s11115-009-0100-0

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 93 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The case has been argued elsewhere that PM is a central component within the application of NPM but that this has led to perverse outcomes across many public services in general and education in particular (Worrall et al, 2010).…”

Section: The Dialectics Of Performance Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher, lecturer or labourer? Performance management issues in education

Mather

Seifert

2011

Management in Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Education management has increasingly been dominated by the norms and requirements of general management ideologies that focus on performance controls and target achievements. Under this regime, solving the labour problem -relatively low productivity -has taken precedence over all other forms of management. In pursuit of this objective senior managers have employed more and more Taylor-like initiatives, including close supervision of task content and its execution. As a result the professionals have resisted collectively and formally through unions, informally in the common rooms and individually through grievance, absenteeism, increased instrumentalism and dull compliance in the job. The application of tighter controls over performance turns these workers into waged labour, displacing any notions of professional self-regulation and undermining collegial high trust relations and educational autonomy that these professionals might reasonably expect.

show abstract

Section: The Dialectics Of Performance Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher, lecturer or labourer? Performance management issues in education

Mather

Seifert

2011

Management in Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While some studies have argued that the gendered effects of restructuring are uneven and sometimes men may experience more hardship than women (Worts et al, 2007), our research points to very little difference between men's and women's experiences at least in the two main grades, indicating that 'minority men' in female-dominated professions can suffer from the same detrimental effects of restructuring (apart from those who have chosen the managerial route, here represented by the SPO group). Aside from formal equality policies, the probation case adds to the evidence that public services may no longer advance gender equality in job quality for highly qualified women (Rubery, 2013;Worrall et al, 2010).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that our case occupation is female dominated, it is worth noting that female pay and conditions in the public sector are relatively favourable, having benefited from high levels of unionisation and collective bargaining (Moore and Tailby, ) and progressive gender equality policies (Conley and Page, ; Grimshaw et al ., ; Rubery, ). Further, even with the many managerialist policies now impinging on professional workers under the ‘modernisation’ agenda (Worrall et al ., ), and employment cuts and pay freezes under ‘austerity measures’ (Bach, ), public services stand out for providing relatively high‐quality jobs for women especially for the highly qualified (Rubery, ; ). Therefore, any adverse changes in public service employment affect women disproportionately (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work, employment and engagement conditions in a female‐dominated public service occupation after restructuring/outsourcing

Kirton

Guillaume

2017

Industrial Relations Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most research on the phenomenon of public service restructuring/outsourcing focuses on lower skilled work in peripheral activities and typically provides an overview of effects on work, employment and employment relations. Through an in‐depth case study of probation, the intention of this article is to explore professional worker experiences of the restructuring/outsourcing of a core public service activity where the workforce is female dominated. The article highlights three dimensions of job quality that all suffered deterioration—work, employment and engagement. The case of probation adds to evidence demonstrating that employees experience adverse effects even though transfer regulations and union agreements supposedly protect workers. Probation also stands as an exemplar of impoverishment processes in a female‐dominated occupation which reinforces the view that public services can no longer be relied upon to provide high‐quality jobs for highly qualified women.

show abstract

“…In summary, it can be said that the continuing programme of civil service management and reform has arguably seen a shift towards a more unitary form of employment relations, based around hard HRM practices and increased control over labour processes (Boyne et al, 1999;Worrall et al, 2010). Following the establishment of the Whitley system, civil service employment relations developed in a particular style (in line with the rest of the public sector) and had four key features (Farnham and Horton, 1996;Boyne et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employment relations in the UK civil service

Hodder

2015

Personnel Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to bring together two separate strands of the literature (politics and industrial relations) on civil service management and reform to enable consideration of the industrial relations implications of these changes. Design/methodology/approach-This paper is conceptual and has no empirical base. The paper is a general review of existing literature on the subject. Findings-The paper identifies the importance of historical legacy in both management and union behaviour in the civil service. By revisiting earlier civil service reforms, the reader is able to gain an understanding of the rationale for much of the current restructuring of the civil service. Additionally, any discussion of trade union behaviour should be located in the context of union tradition and evolution. Research limitations/implications-In being a general review, the paper does not report empirical evidence but instead provides the background for future research into civil service industrial relations and management. Originality/value-This paper is the first to provide a systematic review of management restructuring in the civil service whilst at the same time considering union responses. As such, the paper is of interest to academics and practitioners in the areas of both management and politics.

show abstract

Solving the Labour Problem Among Professional Workers in the UK Public Sector: Organisation Change and Performance Management

Abstract: Public sector reform, Organisational change, Labour process, Performance management, Labour management,

Cited by 11 publications

References 93 publications

Teacher, lecturer or labourer? Performance management issues in education

Teacher, lecturer or labourer? Performance management issues in education

Work, employment and engagement conditions in a female‐dominated public service occupation after restructuring/outsourcing

Employment relations in the UK civil service

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About