ORGANIZING EMPLOYMENT FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE - THEORIES, EVIDENCE AND POLICY

There has been increased interest in recent years about the way in whi ch employment is organized. Some commentators have suggested that ther e has been a qualitative transformation such that new forms of work or ganization have developed which offer the prospect of improved perform ance. Among the key propositions are: (1) labour is being deployed in a more flexible manner; (2) productivity increasingly depends on the c ommitment offered by workers; (3) performance-oriented work practices only work if introduced in an internally consistent manner; and (4), i t is crucial that such practices are congruent with the overall strate gy of the organization in which they are sited. Empirical evidence has indicated that there is much support for these propositions, but that the link between them and high organizational performance is both com plex and variable. In particular, the context in which they are situat ed is a crucial determinant of their success.