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The comparative advantage of non-union voice in Britain, 1980-2004

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  • Willman, Paul
  • Bryson, Alex
  • Kretschmer, Tobias
  • Gomez, Rafael

Abstract

Non-union direct voice has replaced union representative voice as the primary avenue for employee voice in the British private sector. This study explains this development by providing a framework for examining the relationship between employee voice and workplace outcomes. Voice is associated with lower voluntary turnover, especially in the case of union voice. However, union voice is also associated with greater workplace conflict. We argue changes in voice in Britain are not best understood using a simple union/non-union dichotomy. Union effects on workplace outcomes and the incidence of human resource management hinge on whether it coexists at the workplace with non-union voice in what we term a “dual” system. In the first part of the 21st century, these dual voice systems were performing at least as well as non-union only regimes, suggesting that the rise of non-union regimes is attribu` to something other than clear comparative performance advantages over other forms of voice.

Suggested Citation

  • Willman, Paul & Bryson, Alex & Kretschmer, Tobias & Gomez, Rafael, 2013. "The comparative advantage of non-union voice in Britain, 1980-2004," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 39714, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:39714
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tobias Kretschmer & Phanish Puranam, 2008. "Integration Through Incentives Within Differentiated Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(6), pages 860-875, December.
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    6. Stephen Machin & Stephen Wood, 2005. "Human Resource Management as a Substitute for Trade Unions in British Workplaces," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 58(2), pages 201-218, January.
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    8. Alex Bryson & Rafael Gomez & Tobias Kretschmer & Paul Willman, 2007. "The diffusion of workplace voice and high-commitment human resource management practices in Britain, 1984–1998," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 16(3), pages 395-426, June.
    9. James T. Bennett & Bruce E. Kaufman, 2004. "What Do Unions Do?: A Twenty-Year Perspective," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(3), pages 339-350, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Matsuura, Tsukasa & Noda, Tomohiko, 2017. "Employee representation in japanese family and non-family SMEs," MPRA Paper 81539, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Alex Bryson & Lucy Stokes & David Wilkinson, 2023. "Is pupil attainment higher in well-managed schools?," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 129-144, January.
    3. Michail Veliziotis & Guy Vernon, 2023. "From monopoly to voice effects? British workplace unionism and productivity performance into the new millennium," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(3), pages 574-594, September.
    4. Artz, Benjamin & Blanchflower, David G. & Bryson, Alex, 2022. "Unions increase job satisfaction in the United States," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 173-188.
    5. Xiangmin Liu & Danielle D. van Jaarsveld & Yoshio Yanadori, 2022. "Customer aggression, employee voice and quit rates: Evidence from the frontline service workforce," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(2), pages 348-370, June.
    6. Michael White & Alex Bryson, 2018. "HPWS in the Public Sector: Are There Mutual Gains?," DoQSS Working Papers 18-10, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    7. John T. Addison, 2016. "Collective bargaining systems and macroeconomic and microeconomic flexibility: the quest for appropriate institutional forms in advanced economies," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-53, December.
    8. John T. Addison & Paulino Teixeira, 2018. "The Shortfall in Formal Employee Participation at the European Workplace," CESifo Working Paper Series 7399, CESifo.
    9. Olivier Godechot & Zinaida Salibekyan, 2019. "Should We Clash or Should I Go? The Impact of Low Wage and Poor Working Conditions on the Exit‐Voice Trade‐Off," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 33(4), pages 425-449, December.
    10. Gregor Murray & Christian Lévesque & Christian Dufour & Adelheid Hege, 2013. "Special Issue. Edited by: Gregor Murray, Christian Lévesque, Christian Dufour and Adelheid Hege," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 340-354, July.
    11. Barry, Michael & Bryson, Alex & Gomez, Rafael & Kaufman, Bruce E. & Lomas, Guenther & Wilkinson, Adrian, 2018. "The," IZA Discussion Papers 11860, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. John T. Addison, 2016. "Collective bargaining systems and macroeconomic and microeconomic flexibility: the quest for appropriate institutional forms in advanced economies," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-53, December.
    13. Della Torre, Edoardo, 2019. "Collective voice mechanisms, HRM practices and organizational performance in Italian manufacturing firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 398-410.
    14. Addison, John T. & Teixeira, Paulino, 2018. "What Do Workers Want? The Shortfall in Employee Participation at the European Workplace," IZA Discussion Papers 11506, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Michael Barry & Alex Bryson & Rafael Gomez & Bruce Kaufman & Guenther Lomas & Adrian Wilkinson, 2018. "The ''Good Workplace'': The Role of Joint Consultative Committees, Unions and HR policies in Employee Ratings of Workplaces in Britain," DoQSS Working Papers 18-08, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    16. Olivier Godechot & Zinaida Salibekyan, 2019. "Should We Clash or Should I Go? The Impact of Low Wage and Poor Working Conditions on the Exit-Voice Trade-Off," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03098558, HAL.
    17. Bruce Kaufman, 2014. "Explaining Breadth and Depth of Employee Voice across Firms: A Voice Factor Demand Model," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 296-319, September.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • J52 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation
    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs

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