NEW FORMS OF WORK ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN 2 CASE-STUDY SITES - PLURAL, MIXED AND PROTEAN

This article critically examines the introduction of new forms of work organization and employee involvement in two American electronics com panies operating in the Republic of Ireland. The success of these init iatives was found to be intimately related to three factors: managemen t commitment, workers' response and operational pressures. It was foun d that a number of different forms of labour regulation existed side-b y-side within the same organization. This paper tries to account for t he persistence of these 'older' forms of labour regulation. In additio n, it is argued that workers remain suspicious of, and removed from, m anagement.