Knowledge that Transforms

Companies all over the United States have initiated quality programs in order to meet the demands of international competition. However well‐intentioned, many of these initiatives have by and large met with failure. United States corporate leaders seem confused as to the causes of those failures. What business leadership has failed to realize is that there are certain underlying assumptions about human motivation in the workplace that must be addressed before any quality program can be successful. This article addresses those basic concerns and provides a framework for business leaders who embark on quality initiatives.

This essay is a brief review of the evolution of work and human resource management, an evolution that parallels the development of civilization. Both continuity and change are apparent in the role of work in society and in its management. There has been continuity and change down through the centuries in motivation to work, in the sense of equity, and in how work is organized. For instance, early on much of work was self‐service; it is moving in that direction again. Tradition and sentiment shaped the work organization. Gradually, tradition and sentiment were replaced by rationality. Currently, we see in the sociotechnical design of work the continuity as well as a coming together of both the rational and the socioemotional aspects of work in organizations. Looking at the past may help human resource managers to frame the issues involved and the expectations of future developments.

Relocations of entire organizational units raise special family adjustment issues. This article reports on the reactions of employees and their families to such a relocation. Employees' adjustment was more strongly related to nonwork and family impacts of the move than to factors in the workplace. Adjustment was more difficult for families inexperienced in relocation, despite extensive company assistance programs.

A tidal wave of change is sweeping across the American workplace. Resulting in part from tumultuous economic conditions, the relationship between employers and employees is being redefined in a fundamental and permanent way. The consequences are as critical to the future of business as are developments in marketing, financial management, and technology.

In this study geographically mobile managers in 1978 were compared to mobile managers in 1989 and significant changes were found in career patterns and attachment to the organization and the job. The managers in 1989 were changing jobs and relocating more frequently than were the 1978 managers. They were also less satisfied with their companies. Job involvement and job satisfaction, however, were higher among the 1989 managers than among the 1978 managers. Retrospectively, the 1989 managers thought they were less loyal to their companies than they had been five years previously. Managers' attachment to their organizations may be tied to challenging jobs that provide career development opportunities; those organizations unwilling or unable to provide such jobs may experience higher managerial turnover.

A theme in the career paths of scientists and engineers is their transition into management. This transition is described as difficult both for those who make it and for those who do not. This article uses Human Research Information System data from a large research & development firm to explore an alternative perspective in which the transition is seen as an efficient human resource promotion strategy. The results support the alternative explanation and indicate that the policy serves the firm well in allocating human resources. The results suggest that good technical employees tend to become good managers and that if coupled with aggressive training for those technical employees who do not move into management, the best workers stay with the firm.

This article presents eight case studies that illustrate “better practices” in how layoffs are managed in organizations. These examples incorporate such policies and programs as early notification of layoffs, provisions for severance pay and extended benefits, education and retraining for displaced workers, outplacement assistance, clear and direct communication of layoff information, and support services for “survivors” of layoffs. These examples highlight the benefits of collaboration among downsizing businesses, public sector organizations, and unions in helping laid‐off employees adjust to unemployment and obtain satisfactory reemployment.