Book synopsis
As indicated by the editors, this book brings together literature and theoretical perspectives on the theme of New Ways of Organising Work. Emerging from the European Group for Organisation Studies 2009 Barcelona Conference, this collection of papers is ‘primarily aimed at scholars with an interest both in the field of change and the organisation of work […] [and] those concerned with the development of employment policy and to managers and human resource (HR) professionals facing the challenge of designing and implementing new ways of organising work’ (p. xi).
The papers are organised into three empirical themes. Firstly new and emerging forms of work are discussed, focussing on the mobility and flexibility offered by the advent and development of wireless, mobile technologies and discussion of the job demand‐control‐support model; the use of temporary labour and temporary work agencies in a range of Australian market sectors; and a critical exploration of the way in which media images shape perceptions of and change social constructions of what is acceptable and desirable work for women.
The second theme focuses on employees' experiences of new ways of working, with papers reporting the contradictions and dilemmas contributing to the evolving identity of Irish Health Service middle managers; the emotional experiences of remote working and the ways in which this influences perceptions of identification with employers and how and when to work; the extent to which Canadian remote flexworkers are challenged by the close proximity of home and work and the emerging coping mechanisms; issues of place, aspiration and identity in a Scottish small business relocation; and the influence of job demands and resources on employee experience in Dutch teleworking organisations.
The final theme discusses issues of remoteness: managing team connectivity and norms, and examples of responses to the resulting challenges for middle managers of these geographically remote teams from the USA and Europe.
The editors' conclusions suggest that new ways of working need to become part of an organisation's culture, not simply be a formal statement. There are inevitable issues with monitoring, regulating and avoiding cultural conflict when adopting alternative work practices, but this “darker side” should be regarded as a challenge not an excuse to ignore the opportunities it presents.
Evaluation
This text will be of interest to academics in the field of organisational strategy. The literature reviewed in each paper builds into a comprehensive discussion of current issues, and reports of empirical research place the theoretical understanding into relevant, identifiable contexts. As the reader would expect, appropriate methodologies are outlined and discussed. The emerging themes and findings are clearly and logically expressed, as one would expect given the chapters' origins in conference presentations. The research approaches and the way in which both qualitative and quantitative findings are presented provide examples of good academic practice.
The studies included cover a wide range of sectors and geographical spread within each section, and, while there are threads running through the book, each case study can be viewed independently. In the majority of studies it is interesting to see both positive and negative implications of the varied new ways of organising work for both managers, employers and employees – in particular what the editors call the “darker side” of many of the new work structure and practice arrangements. Rather than simply regarding “new” as equal to “better”, the empirical evidence suggests caution in simply accepting or rejecting changes in practice and policy.
Individual papers typically end without drawing conclusions, but instead by raising new questions emerging from the research findings or comments that alternative theories, models and approaches could be used to add further insights into the topic. The scholarly reader can then follow the suggestions for further research in their own context, sector and location.
In the reviewer's opinion, the academic depth of the individual chapters tends to make reading the book as a single text a daunting prospect. While this depth may be of interest to scholars, it is questionable if the material is accessible to the alternative audience – possibly less academically orientated policy developers, managers and human resource practitioners. This potential barrier is to some extent minimised by the final discursive summaries by the editors, enable them to achieve their stated aim to “organise the preceding ten chapters and identify and connect emerging themes and theories” (p. 176).
Probably the most important point emerging from the collection of research reports and related discussion is that all the themes identified and researched are evolving and without clear boundaries and clearly developed frames of reference. What will be interesting is to read a future volume that reports on the follow‐up studies recommended by individual contributors and the editors.
In the authors' own words
‘The contributors to this book present empirical data reflecting a diverse range of contemporary work arrangements. Although these arrangements reflect organisational responses to more general economic, social and political developments, they take different forms with different implications for employees and managers, even where similar language has been used to describe them […] Organisational processes may also influence the way work is organised, as well as familiarity with emerging work arrangements and their implications for performance. This highlights the importance of context in relation to contemporary working arrangements and experiences. It also cautions against trying to simplify or generalise’ (pp. 176‐7).
About the reviewer
Dr Rita Welsh, Lecturer in HRM/D, School of Arts, Social Science and Management, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Following a career in micro retail management, Rita Welsh returned to formal education and achieved first class honours in tourism management in 2000. She then received a PhD studentship from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh to investigate internal factors influencing Edinburgh South Asian micro minority ethnic community micro enterprise development, and was awarded her doctorate in 2010. From 2000 to the present, Rita has lectured in HRM/D and business development at under‐ and postgraduate level. Her current research involvement is in Scottish mainstream and minority ethnic family businesses, and minority ethnic business succession planning. Dr Rita Welsh can be contacted at: rwelsh@qmu.ac.uk
