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From Partnership to Resistance: Unions and Organisational Learning at Ericsson Infocom

Huzzard, Tony LU (2000) In Management Learning 31(3). p.353-373
Abstract
In recognising that much mainstream literature on organisational learning is overwhelmingly managerial, this paper explores learning as an appropriate framework for studying organisations at the level of sub-systems or subcultures. It is thus argued that there is an interesting agenda to be pursued by the critical researcher on seeing organisational learning as a means of analysing both co-operation and conflict over the labour process from a bottom-up perspective. In practical terms, in highly organised contexts with established collective bargaining, this means study of collective learning in workplace trade union organisations. The setting of Ericsson Infocom at Norrköping, Sweden, is selected for empirical study. An adaptation of... (More)
In recognising that much mainstream literature on organisational learning is overwhelmingly managerial, this paper explores learning as an appropriate framework for studying organisations at the level of sub-systems or subcultures. It is thus argued that there is an interesting agenda to be pursued by the critical researcher on seeing organisational learning as a means of analysing both co-operation and conflict over the labour process from a bottom-up perspective. In practical terms, in highly organised contexts with established collective bargaining, this means study of collective learning in workplace trade union organisations. The setting of Ericsson Infocom at Norrköping, Sweden, is selected for empirical study. An adaptation of Dixon’s model of experiential organisational learning (1994) of the local unions identifies two distinct modes of learning, each reflecting different post-Fordist strategies for managing the labour process: initially multiskilled teamworking and subsequently outsourcing. The former mode reflects the actions and discourse of negotiated partnership with the employer, whilst the latter reflects the actions and discourse of resistance. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
organizational learning, learning processes, workplace unions, work organization, partnership, resistance, discourse
in
Management Learning
volume
31
issue
3
pages
353 - 373
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:0347937284
ISSN
1350-5076
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c3bd07f6-a4b3-4352-af22-5b4d84f2fa2c (old id 1385214)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 13:36:27
date last changed
2022-01-30 00:35:11
@article{c3bd07f6-a4b3-4352-af22-5b4d84f2fa2c,
  abstract     = {{In recognising that much mainstream literature on organisational learning is overwhelmingly managerial, this paper explores learning as an appropriate framework for studying organisations at the level of sub-systems or subcultures. It is thus argued that there is an interesting agenda to be pursued by the critical researcher on seeing organisational learning as a means of analysing both co-operation and conflict over the labour process from a bottom-up perspective. In practical terms, in highly organised contexts with established collective bargaining, this means study of collective learning in workplace trade union organisations. The setting of Ericsson Infocom at Norrköping, Sweden, is selected for empirical study. An adaptation of Dixon’s model of experiential organisational learning (1994) of the local unions identifies two distinct modes of learning, each reflecting different post-Fordist strategies for managing the labour process: initially multiskilled teamworking and subsequently outsourcing. The former mode reflects the actions and discourse of negotiated partnership with the employer, whilst the latter reflects the actions and discourse of resistance.}},
  author       = {{Huzzard, Tony}},
  issn         = {{1350-5076}},
  keywords     = {{organizational learning; learning processes; workplace unions; work organization; partnership; resistance; discourse}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{353--373}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Management Learning}},
  title        = {{From Partnership to Resistance: Unions and Organisational Learning at Ericsson Infocom}},
  volume       = {{31}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}