Much of the hoopla surrounding quality circles, teams, and high-performance work systems has been based on anecdotes and very thin evidence. It has not been established that those employee involvement strategies amount to anything more than another series of management fads or ruses designed to get more out of workers without giving them anything in return. This revelatory book, written by some of the skeptics, lays some of the suspicion to rest. Based on their visits to 44 plants and surveys of more than 4,000 employees, Eileen Appelbaum, Thomas Bailey, Peter Berg, and Arne L. Kalleberg concluded that companies are indeed more successful when managers share knowledge and power with workers and when workers assume increased responsibility and discretion. The study of steel, apparel, and medical electronics and imaging plants revealed much. In self-directed teams, workers were able to eliminate bottlenecks and coordinate the work process. In task forces created to improve quality, they communicated with individuals outside their own work groups and were able to solve problems. Expensive equipment in steel mills operated with fewer interruptions, turnaround and labor costs were cut in apparel factories, and costly inventories of components and medical equipment were reduced. And what did the employees think? The worker survey showed that jobs in participatory work systems often provide more challenging tasks and more opportunities for creativity. Employees in apparel had higher hourly earnings; those in steel had both higher hourly earnings and higher job satisfaction. Workers in more participatory settings were no more likely than others to report heavy workloads or excessive demands on their time. They were, however, less likely to report involuntary overtime or conflict with co-workers, and were more likely to be satisfied with their surroundings. Manufacturing Advantage provides the best assessment available of the effectiveness of high-performance work systems. Freestanding chapters near the end of the book provide full documentation of research data without interrupting the narrative flow.

Eileen Appelbaum, Bailey, Thomas, Peter Berg, Arne L. Kalleberg

Eileen Appelbaum; Thomas Bailey; Peter Berg; Arne L. Kalleberg

Eileen Appelbaum; Economic Policy Institute

Appelbaum, Eileen, 1940-

Ithaca: Cornell University Press

Comstock Publishing Associates

United States, United States of America

January 6, 2000

Ithaca, 2001

PS, 1999

1, 1999

Obscured text cover

A study examined the relationship between high-performance workplace practices and the performance of plants in the following manufacturing industries: steel, apparel, and medical electronic instruments and imaging. The multilevel research methodology combined the following data collection activities: (1) site visits; (2) collection of plant performance data; (3) extensive interviews with managers and union officials; and (4) surveys of blue-collar employees, supervisors, and white-collar employees. The study focused on the following topics: (1) manufacturing in the 21st century; (2) discretionary effort and the organization of work; (3) market dynamics and work organization in the steel, apparel, and medical electronic instruments and imaging industries; (4) workplace transformation and its effects on plants and workers; (5) measurement of the components of a high-performance work system; (6) performance effects of high-performance work systems; (7) the relationship between high-performance work systems and worker outcomes; (8) the effect of high-performance practices on earnings; and (9) the relationship between work systems and productivity growth. The study produced hard evidence that high-performance workplace practices, including employee empowerment and shop-floor participation, are not only good for workers but are also a major source of competitive advantage for companies. (Thirty-eight tables/figures are included. The bibliography contains 202 references.) (MN)

"Based on their visits to 44 plants and surveys of more than 4,000 employees, Eileen Appelbaum, Thomas Bailey, Peter Berg, and Arne L. Kalleberg concluded that companies are indeed more successful when managers share knowledge and power with workers and when workers assume increased responsibility and discretion." "The study of steel, apparel, and medical electronics and imaging plants revealed much. In self-directed teams, workers were able to eliminate bottlenecks and coordinate the work process. In task forces created to improve quality, they communicated with individuals outside their own work groups and were able to solve problems. Expensive equipment in steel mills operated with fewer interruptions, turnaround and labor costs were cut in apparel factories, and costly inventories of components and medical equipment were reduced." "Manufacturing Advantage provides the best assessment available of the effectiveness of high-performance work systems. Freestanding chapters near the end of the book provide full documentation of research data without interrupting the narrative flow."--Jacket

xii, 259 p. : 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-246) and index

2023-06-28