Information but not consultation: exploring employee involvement in SMEs

Wilkinson, A.; Dundon, T.; Grugulis, I.

Abstract

Most research on employee involvement (EI) has focused on large or 'mainstream' organizations. By adopting those schemes which 'appear' to work well in larger organizations, smaller firms assume there will be enhanced employee commitment beyond formal contractual requirements. The main question in this paper is whether EI schemes designed by management will suffice under the 2004 Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations. The paper focuses on SMEs which tend to favour informal and direct EI, and it remains unclear how these methods will be played out under the new regulatory environment. Evidence from four case studies is presented here and it suggests that the ICE Regulations impose new challenges for smaller firms given their tendency to provide information rather than consult with employees. It also appears organizational factors, workplace relations history and the way processes are implemented at enterprise level may be far more important than size itself.

Citation

Wilkinson, A., Dundon, T., & Grugulis, I. (2007). Information but not consultation: exploring employee involvement in SMEs. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(7), 1279-1297. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190701393798

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Jan 7, 2011
• Journal: International Journal of Human Resource Management
• Print ISSN: 0958-5192
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-4399
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 1279-1297
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190701393798
• Keywords: Employee involvement, Information and consultation, Employee voice, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), European Employee Information and Consultation Directive, Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations (ICE).
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1511940