This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The Determinants of Firm Performance: Unions, Works Councils, and Employee Involvement/High Performance Work Practices

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
John T. Addison () (University of South Carolina, Universidade de Coimbra and IZA Bonn)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Drawing on evidence from the United States and Germany, this paper offers a survey of the effects of worker representation (in unions and works councils) and innovative work practices on firm performance. The focus is on the growing links between these two historically separate literatures. The interaction between worker representation and high performance work practices provides a practical means of peering inside the black box of collective voice, even if there is as yet no well-determined hierarchy for productivity performance and certainly no blue-print for the future of unions.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: ftp://repec.iza.org/RePEc/Discussionpaper/dp1620.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 1620.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 71 pages
Date of creation: Jun 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1620

Contact details of provider:
Postal: IZA, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 228 3894 223
Fax: +49 228 3894 180
Web page: http://www.iza.org

Order Information:
Postal: IZA, Margard Ody, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany
Email:

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Mark Fallak).

Related research
Keywords: worker representation; employee involvement mechanisms; innovative work practices; training; firm/establishment performance;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Sandra E. Black & Lisa M. Lynch, 2000. "What's Driving the New Economy: The Benefits of Workplace Innovation," NBER Working Papers 7479, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Morris M. Kleiner & Jonathan S. Leonard & Adam M. Pilarski, 2002. "How industrial relations affects plant performance: The case of commercial aircraft manufacturing," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 55(2), pages 195-218, January.
  3. Fallick, Bruce C & Hassett, Kevin A, 1999. "Investment and Union Certification," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(3), pages 570-82, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Ichniowski, Casey & Shaw, Kathryn & Prennushi, Giovanna, 1997. "The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 291-313, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Richard B. Freeman & Edward P. Lazear, 1995. "An Economic Analysis of Works Councils," NBER Chapters, in: Works Councils: Consultation, Representation, and Cooperation in Industrial Relations, pages 27-52 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Easton, George S & Jarrell, Sherry L, 1998. "The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 71(2), pages 253-307, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Menezes-Filho, Naercio & Van Reenen, John, 2003. "Unions and Innovation: A Survey of the Theory and Empirical Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 3792, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Richard B. Freeman & Morris M. Kleiner & Cheri Ostroff, 2000. "The Anatomy of Employee Involvement and Its Effects on Firms and Workers," NBER Working Papers 8050, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. David Neumark & Peter Cappelli, 1999. "Do "High Performance" Work Practices Improve Establishment-Level Outcomes?," NBER Working Papers 7374, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Zwick, Thomas & Wolf, Elke, 2002. "Reassessing the Impact of High Performance Workplaces," ZEW Discussion Papers 02-07, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  11. John T. Addison & Claus Schnabel & Joachim Wagner, 2004. "The Course of Research into the Economic Consequences of German Works Councils," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 255-281, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Sandra E. Black & Lisa M. Lynch, 2001. "How To Compete: The Impact Of Workplace Practices And Information Technology On Productivity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(3), pages 434-445, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Kochan, Thomas A., 1996. "What works at work : overview and assessment," Working papers 3886-96., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management. [Downloadable!]
  14. Addison, John T & Hirsch, Barry T, 1989. "Union Effects on Productivity, Profits, and Growth: Has the Long Run Arrived?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(1), pages 72-105, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Addison, John T. & Schank, Thorsten & Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 2003. "German Works Councils in the Production Process," IZA Discussion Papers 812, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  16. Addison, John T. & Teixeira, Paulino, 2004. "The Effect of Worker Representation on Employment Behavior in Germany: Another Case of -2.5%," IZA Discussion Papers 1188, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  17. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1995. "Complementarities and fit strategy, structure, and organizational change in manufacturing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 179-208, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Wagner, Joachim & Addison, John T. & Schnabel, Claus & Schank, Thorsten, 2004. "Works Councils, Labor Productivity and Plant Heterogeneity: Evidence from Quantile Regressions," IZA Discussion Papers 1414, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  19. John T. Addison & Lutz Bellmann & Arnd Kölling, 2004. "Works Councils and Plant Closings in Germany," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 42(1), pages 125-148, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Alex Bryson, 2004. "Unions and Workplace Closure in Britain, 1990-1998," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 282-302, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Zwick, Thomas, 2003. "Works Councils and the Productivity Impact of Direct Employee Participation," ZEW Discussion Papers 03-47, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  22. Walther Müller-Jentsch, 1995. "Germany: From Collective Voice to Co-management," NBER Chapters, in: Works Councils: Consultation, Representation, and Cooperation in Industrial Relations, pages 53-78 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  23. Brown, Charles & Medoff, James, 1978. "Trade Unions in the Production Process," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 86(3), pages 355-78, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  24. Fitzroy, Felix R & Kraft, Kornelius, 1987. "Efficiency and Internal Organization: Works Councils in West German Firms," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 54(216), pages 493-504, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  25. John Godard, 2004. "A Critical Assessment of the High-Performance Paradigm," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 349-378, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  26. William N. Cooke, 1994. "Employee participation programs, group-based incentives, and company performance: A union-nonunion comparison," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 47(4), pages 594-609, July.
  27. John T. Addison & Clive R. Belfield, 2004. "Union Voice," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(4), pages 563-596, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  28. Addison, John T. & Bellmann, Lutz & Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 2002. "German Works Councils Old and New: Incidence, Coverage and Determinants," IZA Discussion Papers 495, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  29. Freeman, Richard B, 1976. "Individual Mobility and Union Voice in the Labor Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 361-68, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  30. Olaf H¸bler & Uwe Jirjahn, 2003. "Works Councils and Collective Bargaining in Germany: The Impact on Productivity and Wages," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 50(4), pages 471-491, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  31. FitzRoy, Felix R. & Kraft, Kornelius, 1995. "On the choice of incentives in firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 145-160, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  32. Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 1992. "Unions and innovation : Evidence from German micro data," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 369-373, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  33. Thorsten Schank & Claus Schnabel & Joachim Wagner, 2004. "Works councils - sand or grease in the operation of German firms?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 159-161, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  34. Daron Acemoglu & Jorn-Steffen Pischke, 1999. "The Structure of Wages and Investment in General Training," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(3), pages 539-572, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  35. Malcomson, James M, 1983. "Trade Unions and Economic Efficiency," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 93(369a), pages 51-65, Supplemen. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  36. Zwick, Thomas, 2002. "Continuous Training and Firm Productivity in Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 02-50, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  37. William N. Cooke, 1992. "Product quality improvement through employee participation: The effects of unionization and joint union-management administration," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 46(1), pages 119-134, October.
  38. Naercio Menezes-Filho & David Ulph & John Van Reenen, 1998. "R&D and unionism: Comparative evidence from British companies and establishments," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 52(1), pages 45-63, October.
  39. Barry T. Hirsch & Barbara A. Morgan, 1994. "Shareholder risks and returns in union and nonunion firms," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 47(2), pages 302-318, January.
  40. Clark, Kim B, 1984. "Unionization and Firm Performance: The Impact on Profits, Growth, and Productivity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(5), pages 893-919, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Felix Fitzroy & Michael Nolan, 2005. "Value of Work: Bargaining, job-satisfaction, and taxation in a simple GE model," Discussion Paper Series, Department of Economics 0515, Department of Economics, University of St. Andrews. [Downloadable!]
  2. John T. Addison & Paulino Teixeira, 2006. "Does the Quality of Industrial Relations Matter for the Macro Economy? A Cross-Country Analysis Using Strikes Data," IZA Discussion Papers 1968, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Stefan Bauernschuster & Oliver Falck & Stephan Heblich, 2008. "The Impact of Continuous Training on a Firm’s Innovations," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Felix FitzRoy & Michael Nolan, 2005. "Value of Work: Bargaining, Job-Satisfaction, and Taxation in a Simple GE Model," IZA Discussion Papers 1760, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  5. Annette van den Berg & Yolanda Grift & Arjen van Witteloostuijn, 2008. "Works councils and organizational performance. The role of top managers' and works councils' attitudes in bad vis-a-vis good times," Working Papers 08-14, Utrecht School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS also indexes software components.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-9.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.