Job evaluation as institutional myth
Article Abstract:
This article argues that the real function of job evaluation technique lies not in the rational claims upheld in the managerialist literature but rather inthe more diffuse area of meaning management. The argument is based on an intensive case-survey analysis of the introduction of a formal job evaluation plan to one of Canada's ten provincial governments. From the complementary perspectives of social construction theory and institutional theory, job evaluation is ultimately defined as a rationalized institutional myth. First ofall, job evaluation is rationalized because it takes the form of rules, specifying the procedures necessary to accomplish the end goal of determining an internally equitable and externally competitive pay structure. Job evaluation is institutional because actions are repeated and given similar meanings by the custodians of the system and those who fall under its administration. The set of meanings which evolves from job evaluation is expressed in a belief (ideology), an activity (norms and rituals), language andother symbolic forms through which the members of an organization both create and sustain views and images about the value of one job over another. Job evaluation is a myth because it is a process based on widely held beliefs that cannot be tested objectively. Despite a number of unexamined assumptions, the technique is accepted as 'true' because it is believed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Management Studies
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0022-2380
Year: 1993
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Dual commitment: contract workers in Australian manufacturing enterprises
Article Abstract:
A growing trend in employment practices is for firms to concentrate on their core functions and outsource peripheral activities. While an assessment of the economic benefits of outsourcing has been the subject of a number of research projects, little attempt has been made to evaluate the impact of such practices on employee commitment. This is the purpose of this paper. The central questions are can employees be committed to their employer and to their host enterprise, and what determines each form of commitment? The research is based on a survey of employees working for a major labour hire firm. The key finding of the research is that employees can have a dual commitment, although different factors influence commitment to the employer and to the host firm. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Management Studies
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0022-2380
Year: 1998
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