An Evaluation of Mechanisms for Employee Voice in

Postfordist Organisations

Michael WalkerPhD Stage 1 Assessment: 12 June 2015

Introduction

37

5

18

40

Australia’s workforce

"Union reach"

Literature Review

Three major strands

1.Industrial Relations > Employee Voice

2.Critical Management Studies > Identity > Resistance

3.Social Protest Theory > ICT and Protest

• Postfordism

“What are the characteristics of successful worker resistance

that are initiated online?”

(Research Question)

Research Design & Methodology

Epistemological stance

• Primarily Industrial Relations framework

• No epistemological consensus

Stages:

1.Exploratory / Observational

2.In-depth• Online focus groups

• Interviews with important stakeholders

Four potential aspects of online voice:

1.Management-instigated

2.Union- or other CSO-instigated

3.Protagonist-instigated• Entrepreneurial

Examples

Implications

1.Unions and other CSOs

2.Social entrepreneurs

3.Business leaders and HRM practitioners

Resources & Timeline

2015Q3 Obtain ethics clearance; approach 4-5 targeted participants

Q3-Q4

Complete literature review chapter and submit for publication in IJHRM special issue: The impact of technology on work in the twenty-first century: exploring the smart side and dark side (~8,000 words)

2016Q1-Q2

‘Phase 2’ data collection in participating organisations (see methodology section)

Q2-Q4

Data entry and analysis

2017Q1 Present findings to AIRAANZ Annual Conference in early

FebruaryQ1 Stage 2 Assessment (optimistic scenario; may be pushed to

June/July)Q1-Q2

Extend conference paper for submission to Organization Studies or Industrial Relations or similar journal (~12,000 words)

Limitations

• Causality

• Normative assumptions about worker aspirations (higher wages, regular working hours, autonomy)

• Countered by:• Using a qualitative methodology

• Cross-disciplinary discussion

Contact

• EmailMichael.B.Walker@student.uts.edu.au

• Twitter @RadicalCentre