This paper, presented in the form of a case study, argues that paternalism, as a form of worker control can, and does, exist as a contemporary tool of management. It provides a typology of paternalism and outlines the benefits for management that can be achieved through its use in the form of compliant and quiescent workers. It goes on to identify the problems that are experienced in maintaining the paternalist relationship and explores possible solutions to the problems of a workforce discontented with an employment relationship mediated by paternalism
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ackers, P. and Black, J. (1991) `Paternalist Capitalism: An Organisation in Transition' in Cross, M. and Payne, G. (eds) Work and the Enterprise Culture, London: The Falmer Press.
2.
Bendix, R. (1974) Work and Authority in Industry, London: University of California Press.
3.
Black, J. and McCabe, D. (1994) `Paternalism, HRM and New Systems and Structures of Work Organisation.' Unpublished working paper drawing upon a paper presented at the Managing Integrated Manufacturing Conference: `Organisations, Strategy and Technology. 22-24 Sept. 1993, University of Keele, Staffordshire, `Paternalism, HRM and Cellular Manufacture: Implications for Organisational Change - A Longitudinal Case Study'.
Joyce, J. (1980) Work, Society and Politics, London: Methuen.
9.
Martin, R. and Fryer, R.H. (1973) Redundancy and Paternalist Capitalism. London: George Allen & Unwin.
10.
Morris, B. and Smyth, J. (1994) `Paternalism as an Employer Strategy, 1800-1960' in Rubery, J. and Wilkinson, F. (eds) Employer Strategy and the Labour Market. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
11.
Newby, H. (1977) `Paternalism and Capitalism' in Scase, R. (ed.) Industrial Society: Class, Cleavage and Control. London: Macmillan.
12.
Newby, H., Bell, C., Rose, D. and Saunders, P. (1978) Property, Paternalism and Power: Class and Control in Rural England. London: Hutchinson.
13.
Rees, G. and Thomas, M. (1991) `From Coalminers to Entrepreneurs? A Case Study in the Sociology of Re-Industrialisation' in Cross, M. and Payne, G. (eds) Work and the Enterprise Culture. London: The Falmer Press.
14.
Rothwell, S. (1995) `Human Resource Planning' in Storey, J. (ed.). Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, London: Routledge.
15.
Rueschmeyer, D. (1986) Power and the Division of Labour, London: Polity.
16.
Storey, J. and Sisson, K. (1993) Managing Human Resources and Industrial Relations, Buckingham: Open University Press.
17.
Warde, A.`Industrial Discipline: Factory Regime and Politics in Lancaster', Work, Employment and Society, 3 (1) 1989.