Productivity,Organisational Change and the Management of Employee Relations

Abstract

One of the most pressing issues facing the Australian economy is the need to raise productivity. There is a widespread belief that productivity improvements can only be achieved through a fundamental reform in the area of industrial relations. Changes are thought to be necessary both in the organisation and structure of work and in the way in which employees are trained, remunerated and motivated. Moreover, it is argued that these changes cannot be separated from the need to overhaul our system of interest representation and dispute resolution. The activities of trade unions and the operations of arbitration tribunals are often viewed as impediments to management efforts to lift the competitive performance of their organisations. The purpose of this article is to evaluate these arguments and examine the institutional responses to the need to improve productivity in Australia.