Workplace Flexibilities in the Producer Services

Abstract

The concept of flexibility is now widely used in describing contemporary production systems in manufacturing, but has yet to be extensively measured in the producer services. In this article we explore several aspects of flexibility in a sample of producer service businesses. We document the structure of the labour force in these businesses, and how this labour force structure is changing over time. We also focus on the degree of flexibility in the organisation of the production process, and on the dynamic nature of the service being produced. In addition to exploring why firms are changing their offerings of services over time, we also present information on their utilisation of outside specialists, and on the prevalence of collaboration with other businesses. INTRODUCTIONMuch has been written about the notion of flexible production systems within manufacturing, but there is little documentation of characteristics of flexibility exhibited within the producer services. In this article we report on selected aspects of the flexibility issue, emphasising workplace dimensions, recognising that there are many faces to the term flexibility. We start by examining changes in the structure of the labour force, and focus on evidence related to more flexible labour force characteristics. Then, we turn to the issue of flexibility -or the lack of it -in the service production process, focusing on both the internal characteristics of this organisational process, as well as the utilisation of outside expertise and collaborative tendencies. We include evidence regarding the consequences of these dimensions of flexibility for business performance. We conclude with some William B. Beyers is at the

The Geographies of Producer Services

“…While much has been written on flexibility in manufacturing, the analysis of flexibility within producer service firms has lagged behind. In a third paper, Beyers and Lindahl (1999) add an empirical dimension to existing conceptual explorations of flexibility in producer services. In contrast to many other sectors, producer service jobs tend to be primarily full-time and well-paid; the part-time and contractual employment that often characterize the flexible use of the labor force in other sectors is relatively marginal in the case of producer services.…”

Flexibility through HRM in management consulting firms

“…Some studies point to the use of progressive and innovative best practice HR policies in management consultancies in response to the major challenges of retaining these valued employees and managing knowledge creation and application (Baden‐Fuller and Bateson, 1990; Alvesson, 2000; Robertson and Hammersley, 2000; Laursen and Mahnke, 2001). Other research, however, points to the growing take up of the market model in the employment of knowledge professionals and a corresponding rise in the use of non‐standard employment relationships (Beyers and Lindahl, 1999). Therefore, several questions persist about how management consultancies manage their workforce to attain flexibility.…”

Economic Geography

“…This 'model' of flexible production was not only debated, it was a 'soft' concept compared to the input-output model that is a set of linear equations. We explored various facets of the flexibility issue in our project, including changes in the mix of full-time, part-time, and contractual workers (we found a modest increase in contingent work), the way in which new jobs were approached, the use of outside specialists, collaboration, and the evolution of what services were offered (Beyers and Lindahl 1999). In this work we had in the back of our minds the flexibility model that was in the popular literature, but were providing a test of it guided by the particularities of our own research agenda.…”