Individual employee voice: renegotiation and performance management in public services

Marsden, David (2006) Individual employee voice: renegotiation and performance management in public services. . London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

Periodically, the ‘zone of acceptance’ within which management may use its authority to direct employees’ work needs to be adapted to the changing needs of organisations. This article focuses especially on the non-codified elements of employees’ work, such as those commonly the subject of ‘psychological contracts’, and considers the role of individual employee voice in the process of adaptation, and how it relates to more familiar forms of collective employee voice. It is argued that the process can be analysed as a form of integrative bargaining, and applies the framework from Walton and McKersie. Employee voice enters into this process by virtue of consideration of the respective goals and preferences of both parties. The element of employee voice may be very weak when new work goals and priorities are imposed unilaterally by management, and they may be strong when full consideration is given to the changing needs of both parties. Two examples from work on performance management in the public services are used to illustrate these processes. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which collective employee voice may help to reinforce individual level integrative negotiation. The article seeks to contribute to the recent work on why employers choose employee voice mechanisms by broadening the range of policies that should be taken into account, and in particular looking at the potential of performance management as one such form.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2006 David Marsden
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	M - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting > M5 - Personnel Economics J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J5 - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
Date Deposited:	29 Feb 2008
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2024 20:01
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/3629

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