Management Society and New Forms of Work - Essay Example

? Melissa Gregg argues that the condition experienced by workers today “is to be invested in work as and when required but without the reciprocal assurance from employers that commitment will be rewarded. Such a scenario risks losing the goodwill of employees permanently” (2011: 165). During the contemporary period, it can be seen that the rise of precarity might transform labour and management practices give that it has a bearing on productivity as well as performance of the employees within a certain company. At the end, it can be seen that the overall performance of the companies will be negatively affected as a result of the emergence of precarity in different societies. On the other hand, it can be seen that this concept raises a lot of social issues that might also destabilise peace and tranquillity in different areas. Against this backdrop, this paper has been designed to explore the reasons why the issue of precarity is of concern to the current labour and management practices. The paper starts by outlining the concept of precarity and its impact on the welfare of people as well as to suggest measures that can be implemented in order to address this particular problem. The concept of precarity is a quite a new sociological discourse in the contemporary labour and management practice. “In 2003, the concept of precarity emerged as the central organizing platform for a series of social struggles that would spread across the space of Europe,” (Neilson & Rossiter, 2009, p. 51). This concept is concerned with highlighting the issue that social security in different workplaces is disappearing as a result of the fact that the employers are primarily concerned with productivity in their organizations while overlooking the needs and interests of the employees such as improving their welfare through offering them rewards for their efforts. This scenario is evident in different sectors of the society where people working on part time basis, permanent employees as well as the unemployed often find themselves in a predicament where they often fail to derive security from their jobs. These people live a precarious life whereby it can be seen that they are not in a position to secure themselves against things like mounting debts as well as to enjoy good welfare. People who are entitled to low wages also face the same predicament since they are forced to eke a living from the meagre income they earn from their work. The concept of precarity has negative effects on different sectors of the economy and society at large. Generally speaking, employees living under precarious conditions are not satisfied with their work. According to a study by Patterson et al (1998) entitled, ‘Impact of People Management Practices on Business Performance,’ it can be seen that people in an organization make a difference between success and failure. The management practices have an impact on the performance of the people in the organization. People who are satisfied with their work are productive compared to those who are not. Satisfaction can be derived if the employees are rewarded for their effort in an organization. However, if there are no measures in place that are designed to address the issue of employee motivation through giving them rewards for their performance, it can be observed that the workers are likely to lose goodwill in the company in the long run. The adverse effects of precarity among the workforce during the contemporary period mainly involve aspects related to quality of work as well as productivity. According to Robbins (1993), a workforce that is dissatisfied is likely to be less productive compared to workers who are happy about their work. This impacts on the performance of the organization as a whole since it may fail to achieve its set goals. On the other hand, it can be seen that this state of affairs can also compromise on the aspect of quality of the goods and services offered by the company concerned. This in turn may impact on the profitability of the company since the targeted customers may end up shunning the products and services offered by the company. The issue of precarity also has negative effects on the society as a whole in different countries. According to Neilson & Rossiter (2009), the emergence of precarity led to the emergence of social upheaval in Europe during the beginning of the 21st century. The EuroMayDay witnessed in 2001 later degenerated into protests across the greater part of Europe up to around 2005. The protesters were demanding improved working conditions that are characterised by job security since their welfare had significantly deteriorated as a result of the emergence of precarity during the beginning of the century. This destabilises peace and tranquillity in a given country hence concerted efforts have to be put in order to address this situation in any given country. Therefore, a new approach to labour and management practice has to be found in order to address the above mentioned scenario in different places. There seems to be increasing recognition that the employees are the organization’s greatest asset and this the reason why there seems to be “a need to develop a people oriented quality strategy or model to be used as a guideline for strategic planning, implementation, measurement and follow up when companies are trying to build organizational excellence,” (Dahlgaard, 2002, p. 3). It is important to develop “the people first policy” and “total development of people” since these are essential tenets for achieving organizational excellence (Dahlgaard-Park, 2002). There is need to transform the management practices so that a new approach that is people oriented can be implemented in the workplace. This approach will go a long way in attempting to address the emergent precarity concerns which were witnessed during the start of the century. This assertion is also supported by Patterson et al (1998, p.9) who states that: “The effectiveness with which organisations manage, develop, motivate, involve and engage the willing contribution of the people who work in them is a key determinant of how well those organisations perform.” A holistic approach ought to be taken in order to address the issue of precarity in different situations. However, it can be noted that the concept of precarity is not applicable to all sectors of the economy since some of the jobs are designed in such a way that increased productivity of the organization determines its success. For a long period, decisions about how the job is designed have long been influenced by the principles of scientific management. This is also referred to as the mechanist approach where the scientific management methods apply principles of mechanical engineering to design a job (Arab British Academy for Higher Education, 2011). Time and motion studies are used to determine the most efficient way of carrying out a particular type of job. Frederick Winslow Taylor is the key figure in this approach to management who suggested that that mental and manual work should be separated. According to the Tayloristic principles of job design, management should specialise in planning, organising and controlling of work while on the other hand the workers should do the actual work (Grobler, 2006). The concept of precarity heavily borrows from this approach to management. From the above assertion, Taylor’s principles of job design suggest that the job should be broken into simple repetitive tasks which allow the workers to specialise in a particular type of job. This approach suggests that productivity in the company is likely to increase since there is no time lost during the production process. This type of work organisation has been mainly contextualised during the period of the mass production also called Fordism (Grobler, 2006). In this mass production system, an essential requirement is consistence, discipline among the employees in carrying out their repetitive and simple tasks particularly in the manufacturing industries. To a certain extent, productivity should be given priority in the manufacturing industry and it can be seen that Tayloristic principles are applicable with regards to management practices. However, the Tayloristic approach as well as the concept of may not be applied to the knowledge economy due to many factors. There are certain jobs that require the employees to use their minds. Failure to obey this principle may result in decline of standards by the employees who are expected to operate within a specific routine. It can also be noted that job design can impact on job satisfaction in various ways. Management principles such as Taylorism as well as the concept of precarity are mainly concerned with productivity in the organization. However, people are more satisfied with when they are assured of getting certain things from their work which motivates them to put more effort in their performance (Rollinson et al 2008). Aspects such as prospects of getting promotion are some of the things that increase job satisfaction among the employees and this in turn lowers negative factors such as absenteeism as well as staff turnover. To a large extent, it can be seen that satisfied workers do not suffer from stress related illnesses that are caused by precarious situations such as lack or security at their respective workplaces. It is therefore imperative for the HRM to have a positive stance towards the needs and interests of the workers that are designed to improve their welfare. The HRM should try to create a fine balance between the needs of the employees as well as the profit oriented goals of the organization. The modern approach management practice puts more emphasis on individual employee’s social needs and this can help the workers to meaningfully contribute to the organization since they are likely to create a sense of belonging to it. References Arab British Academy for Higher Education, 2011, viewed 22 January, 2013, Dahlgaard-Park, SM & Dahlgaard, JJ, 2002, ‘A Strategy for Building Sustainable Innovation Excellence A Danish Study,’ Institute of Service Management, Lunds University, Helsingborg, Sweden. Grobler, P et al 2006, Human Resource Management, Thompson Learning, London. Patterson, MG et al 1998.‘Impact of People Management Practices on Business Performance,’ Institute of Personnel and Development, London. Neilson, B & Rossiter, N 2008, ‘Precarity as a Political Concept, or, Fordism as Exception,’ Theory Culture Society 25; 51, viewed 20 January 2013 from: . Robbins, SP 1993. Organisational behaviour: concepts, controversies and applications. Prentice Hall: New Jersey. Read More