2 PATHS TO PROSPERITY - WORK ORGANIZATION AND INDUSTRIAL-RELATIONS DECENTRALIZATION IN AUSTRALIA

The shift of an industrial relations system from the centralised settl ement of pay and work conditions to the encouragement of enterprise-le vel bargaining presents industrial relations actors with the opportuni ty to influence the organisation of work in one of two ways. Drawing o n a range of theories of work organisation and production we contrast profitability enhancement strategies and productivity enhancement stra tegies. The recent dramatic shift in the Australian industrial relatio ns system from a highly centralised and regulated regime towards one c haracterised by an enterprise focus provides an illuminating case stud y. Utilising data drawn from a survey of Australian workplaces which h ave recently concluded enterprise-level bargains, we examine the appar ent effect of those agreements and assess the emerging trends in terms of the two contrasting strategic orientations. We conclude that while elements of each strategy are present in Australian industry, the dom inant tendency is oriented more toward short-term profitability and co st minimisation than long term productivity enhancement. Further, we u se the findings as a basis for evaluating critically the utility of co nceptualising paths of development in terms of two competing strategic orientations.