Team-working, partnership, quality circles, works councils, industrial democracy, empowerment - are they distinct and innovative arrangements or is it a case of new wine in old bottles? In the post war period we have seen numerous forms of organizational participation sometimes as experiments, sometimes as negotiated expediency, and sometimes as hype. Different ideas have emerged from different parts of the world, in different industries, at different times with different objectives. In this book four experienced international analysts take the longer view and look at the changing forms of - and changing debates around - orgnaizational participation. The review an extensive literature of experiments and practical experiences through a critical evaluation of the available data to reach balanced conclusions about the importance and utility of this concept for organizations now and in the future.

Many managers are frustrated by a bewildering array of advice about what works in the workplace. This volume contributes to a growing consensus about effective workplace practices. The collection combines detailed studies of single industries (automobile assembly, apparel, and machine tools) with cross-industry studies of financial performance. Compared to most past investigations, the research here has better measures of both workplace practices and organizational performance. The contributors find that systems of innovative human resource management practices can have large effects on business performance. Success does not come from any single innovation, but from a coherent system encompassing pay, training, and employee involvement. Although a majority of contemporary US businesses now have adopted some innovative work practices, only a small percentage of businesses have adopted a coherent new system. A concluding chapter outlines barriers to diffusion and discusses public policies to remove barriers and enhance dissemination of effective management.

Team-working, partnership, quality circles, works councils, industrial democracy, empowerment - are they distinct and innovative arrangements or is it a case of old wine in new bottles? In this book four experienced international analysts take the longer view and look at the changing forms of - and changing debates around - organizational participation.

They review an extensive literature of experiments and practical experiences through a critical evaluation of the available data to reach balanced conclusions about the importance and utility of this concept for organizations now and in the future.

This volume contributes to a growing consensus about effective workplace practices. The collection combines detailed studies of single industries (automobile assembly, apparel, and machine tools) with cross-industry studies of financial performance. Compared to most past investigations, the research here has better measures of both workplace practices and organizational performance. The contributors find that systems of innovative human resource management practices can have large effects on business performance. Success does not come from any single innovation, but from a coherent system encompassing pay, training, and employee involvement.

Die Entwicklung einer spezifischen Metallurgie des Magnesiums bis zur Verwert- barkeit dieses leichtesten Gebrauchsmetalls (spezifisches Gewicht 1,7) ging prak- tisch ausschlieBlich in der deutschen Chemischen Industrie vor sich und bleibt verbunden mit den Namen der beiden bedeutendsten Pioniere G. PrSTOR und A. BECK [1] sowie ihren Mitarbeitern im Werk Bitterfeld der ehemaligen IG- Farbenindustrie, insbesondere G. SIEBEL [2]. DaB Magnesium als extrem unedles Metall uberhaupt technisch verwendbar wurde, ist das Ergebnis vor allem von vier erfolgreich geloesten Problemen chemischer Natur: 1. Gewinnung eines weitgehend verunreinigungsfreien Rohmetalls durch ge- eignet geleitete SchmelzfluB-Elektrolyse, 2. Beherrschung der Brandgefahr im GieBereibetrieb durch GieBen des flussigen Metalls unter einer Atmosphare von Schwefeldioxid, 3. Entwicklung eines Raffinations-Salzes zum Beseitigen von nichtmetallischen Verunreinigungen bzw. zur Vermeidung ihrer Neubildung und 4. entscheidende Verbesserung der Korrosionsfestigkeit durch die Erkenntnis des auBerst ungunstigen Einflusses von kleinen hetero genen Eisenpartikeln und Entwicklung eines Verfahrens zur Erniedrigung der Eisenkonzentrationen auf Gehalte unter 0,002%, d. h. Gehalte an Verunreinigungen, wie sie heute bei Transistorenmetallen verlangt werden. Nachdem 1953 das alliierte Verbot zur Herstellung von Magnesium-Metall in Deutschland wieder aufgehoben war, stellte sich der deutschen Chemischen Indu- strie von neuem die Frage, welche Wege zur Weiterentwicklung der Magnesium- Metallurgie beschritten werden sollten bzw. koennten.

Additional Author George B. Strother. Edited By Harold J. Leavitt.

This book, the first on industrial relations research methods, comes at a time when the field of industrial relations is in flux and research strategy has become more complex and varied. Research that once focused on the relationship between labor and management now involves a wider range of issues. This change has raised a number of key questions about how research should be done.

The contributors represent four countries and a range of fields, including economics, sociology, psychology, law, history, and industrial relations. They identify distinctive research strategies and suggest approaches that might be appropriate in the future. Among their concerns are the relative value of qualitative and quantitative methods, of using primary and secondary data, and of single versus multimethod techniques.

This book, the first on industrial relations research methods, comes at a time when the field of industrial relations is in flux and research strategy has become more complex and varied. Research that once focused on the relationship between labor and management now involves a wider range of issues. This change has raised a number of key questions about how research should be done.The contributors represent four countries and a range of fields, including economics, sociology, psychology, law, history, and industrial relations. They identify distinctive research strategies and suggest approaches that might be appropriate in the future. Among their concerns are the relative value of qualitative and quantitative methods, of using primary and secondary data, and of single versus multimethod techniques.