Issues in management and
organization of a flexible workforce
Management and organization of temporary work
(Forthcoming)
Eds:
Bas Koene
Christina Garsten
Nathalie Galais
Changed notions of flexibility
• Specialization
– Synergy temporary expert and organization
(Matusik & Hill 1998; Nesheim et al.2007)
• Rationalization
Ad hoc
– HR processes, labor sourcing strategies,
breathing work force (Lepak& Snell, 1999)
• Complexity
– Local labor market imbalances, complex
cross-border labor sourcing
• Individualization
– Itinerant professionals (Barley and Kunda,
2004)
– Growth self-employed, shortening tenure
2
Structural
Labour market challenges
structural flexibilization
• Responsibility for productive work-life and career
organization
individual
• Labor market issues – flexicurity discussion
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Flexible and reliable contracts (integrate non-standard in labor law)
Transition security
Life-long learning
Social security stimulate good mobility
Organizational consequences?
3
What are challenges for organizations that might
trigger them to contribute to sustainable
organization of flexibility in the labor market?
Challenges for organization
structural flexibilization
• Old routine: flexible, less managerial attention does not work
anymore
• Flexible staff becomes significant
– Dutch companies: 20% 25% (Goudswaard et al.)
– Organizations in dynamic market temp specialists in core (Nesheim et
al.)
– ‘Hollowing out of organizations’ (Anand and Daft, 2007)
• Two important managerial issues:
– Manage a blended work force
– Flexible core requires stable/reliable periphery
5
Manage blended work force
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Issues:
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Research:
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How enhance equality and integration, while appreciating the differences?
Dynamics of dual employment relationships (Chambel, forthcoming)
Fair process in determining employment conditions. What process leads to balanced
flexicurity solutions (Xhauflair and Pichault, forthcoming)
Relates to issue of
–
6
Not just compare flex attitudes to permanent staff
Multiple relationships and attachment in triangular employment relation (towards
client organization, core team, temporary work agency)
How interaction regular and nonstandard staff affect identification, commitment,
psychological contract
Need to understand better:
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Careless management flex negative effect HR outcomes (Koene and van Riemsdijk,2005)
Growing difficulties with growing share of temporary employees (Broschak and DavisBlake, 2006)
Flexible and reliable contracts (integrate non-standard in labor law)
Flexible core requires a stable periphery
•
Issues:
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•
Research:
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•
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7
Matusik and Hill say: easy, mutually beneficial dynamic between temp expert and
organization
However flexibilization often seen related to short-term cost reduction and rationalization
(Koene and Riemsdijk; devalued treatment, Boyce et al 2007; employees experience low job
quality, Olsen, 2006)
1950s organization man perspective dominates theory  limited attention for managing the
nonstandard periphery employees (Ashford et al. 2007)
Key management challenges large share of highskill temps in core: e.g. Dependence
(vulnerability, loss of competence); limited use voice (feedback and learning); dealing with
integration vs separation of temps (limits to integration), social comparison and org justice
considerations, (Nesheim et al., forthcoming)
Need to understand better:
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•
Availability employees with right qualifications at the right time
Tightening labor market, long-term development relevant skills
How maintain relationship with outsider with unique experience (Lepak & Snell propose
alliances?); Managerial skills and organizational competencies needed? (Anand and Daft
suggest: mechanisms of collaboration, lateral relationships; seek clarity rather than control.)
How to support and guide individuals with responsibility for their own productive work-life
and career.
HR practices for maintaining the external employment community when not connected.
Relates to issues of
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Transition security
Lifelong learning
Conditions for “Good mobility”
Possible roles for temporary work agencies?
Structural flexibilization
•
Simple opportunistic matching
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Precariousness of temping in little regulated markets
Responsible and sophisticated matching
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Regulated markets, importance stepping stone role,
value in short-term matching and temp-to-perm
Additional HR services (outsourced administrative HR
services, On-site activities)
Vendor Managed Services dealing with
fragmentation/specialization of providers
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Structural cooperation with client organizations
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Strategic cooperation agencies-client organizations
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Employer responsibilities for those easy to place
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Niche markets for skilled labor profitable
Taking responsibility for those who need support
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8
Research
Alternative temping in the US
Public relevance, public pay: reintegration services in
NL
•
Historical development in US (Smith and
Neuwirth, 2008) and Netherlands reflect
increasing sophistication (Koene and van
Driel, 2011)
Precariousness (Kalleberg,2009), temping
self-reinforcing dual labour market (De Jong
et al,2007), deregulation NL “dual temp
market”?
Evidence stepping stone function (e.g.
deGraaf-Zijl et al, 2011)
US Alternative Staffing example of active
support disadvantaged workers (Carre et al,
forthcoming)
Strategic cooperation: Longer term HR
performance improvements : efficiency,
flexibility, labor market (Goudswaard and de
Leede, forthcoming)
Sweden temps permanent, temps higher
skilled (Walter, forthcoming)
Need to understand better:
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How do various models contribute to
maintaining sustainable management and
organization of flexible workforce?
What conditions sustain the different models
(institutional and resources)?
New ways of organizing work?
•
Changed notions of flexibility
– from adhoc  structural
– Responsibility productive work-life and career individualized
•
Labour market challenges and organizational challenges connected
•
•
•
•
9
Labour market
Organizational challenges for
client organizations
Flexible and reliable contracts
(integrate non-standard in labor
law)
Managing blended work force
Transition security
Lifelong learning
Conditions for “Good mobility”
Flexible core requires stable /
reliable periphery
Studies show increasingly sophisticated organization and management practices
Solutions deviate more and more from the traditional model of employment
Triangular employment solutions provide novel ways of dealing with challenges of
flexibility
Study concrete localized solutions for dealing with employment
tensions fruitful