Gainsharing and organization development: a productive synergy

Article Abstract:

This article reports a study of two types of gainsharing programs: performance improvement programs and team suggestion programs. To determine the factors influencing the programs' effectiveness, the authors examined the results of four interventions (two of each type of program) conducted by one consulting firm. The quantitative data derived from program measures and archival records indicate that gainsharing led to improved productivity, quality, supply costs, safety, attendance, and development of cost-saving ideas. The qualitative data derived from interviews and archival records suggest the programs also enhanced employees' awareness of organizational goals, personnel growth and development, and lateral and vertical communication. The research revealed the importance of process variables to the programs' successful implementation. The authors conclude that gainsharing and organization development complement each other, and discuss implications for future research. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Industrial productivity

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Prosocial behavior, job complexity, and suggestion contribution under gainsharing plans

Article Abstract:

This article reports a study of five manufacturing organizations with performance gainsharing plans, in which 100 nonmanagement employees responded to job characteristics scales from the Job Diagnostic Survey and were evaluated by their supervisors with respect to prosocial organizational behavior. The number of suggestions employees contributed to formal employee involvement systems was found to be positively related to perceptions of job complexity. A significant interaction revealed that suggestion making was also positively related to assisting behavior (a measure of extra-role prosocial behavior), but only for employees reporting that they experienced relatively high levels of job complexity. Suggestion making was not found to be related to compliance (a measure of role-prescribed prosocial behavior). The authors present implications for further research on prosocial organizational behavior and the management of high-involvement gainsharing plans. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Organizational communication

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The bloodless coup: the infiltration of organization science by uncertainty and values

Article Abstract:

Recently, the organization sciences have been subjected to severe disputes about fundamental premises. To a degree, these battles appear to have involved disagreements about ontology and epistemology. This article analyzes two of these conflicts, the so-called Paradigm War in Britain and a related set of controversies in North America, using an agnostic interest-oriented framework. The analysis revealed a new perspective on the debates and the current direction of the field. Among other things, this new perspective suggested that previous interpretations of the debates have overstated the role of ontological and epistemological causes and understated the role of differences in interests. Moreover, recent development can be seen as accepting high degrees of metaphysical uncertainty and recognizing that interests or values have been and continue to be major factors in shaping what constitutes knowledge in the field. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Analysis, Organizational research, Values, Values (Philosophy), Uncertainty (Information theory)

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