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The uses, abuses and non-uses of Rethinking Industrial Relations in understanding industrial relations and organised labour

Author

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  • Gregor Gall

Abstract

Kelly published what should, it is argued, have become a seminal work with Rethinking Industrial Relations . The influence of Rethinking Industrial Relations , it was to be hoped, would be a field of study that was intellectually not only more capable of dealing with the challenge of HRM and neoliberalism but also capable of being of utility to organised labour in understanding its current plight and future path to renewal and re-assertion. Instead, Rethinking Industrial Relations has been largely incorporated into the existing state of academic-cum-intellectual consciousness whereby it has been primarily used to support an already extant trajectory of limited depth and breadth of enquiry and analysis. Therefore, this article examines what it terms the uses, abuses and non-uses of Rethinking Industrial Relations , especially in regard of mobilisation theory, in understanding organised labour. It first examines the citations of Rethinking Industrial Relations as a primary guide to its usage before proceeding to quantify and qualify its usage in journals. From here, it then seeks to explain these findings by discussing the temporal environment into which Rethinking Industrial Relations was published.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregor Gall, 2018. "The uses, abuses and non-uses of Rethinking Industrial Relations in understanding industrial relations and organised labour," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 39(4), pages 681-700, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:39:y:2018:i:4:p:681-700
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X18777618
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andy Hodder & Mark Williams & John Kelly & Nick McCarthy, 2017. "Does Strike Action Stimulate Trade Union Membership Growth?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(1), pages 165-186, March.
    2. Caroline Murphy & Thomas Turner, 2014. "Organising non-standard workers: union recruitment in the Irish care sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 373-388, September.
    3. Judy Wajcman, 2000. "Feminism Facing Industrial Relations in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(2), pages 183-201, June.
    4. Jo McBride, 2011. "Can sectionalism be good for solidarity? Some evidence from the maritime construction industry on Tyneside," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 32(2), pages 285-306, May.
    5. Maite Tapia, 2013. "Marching to Different Tunes: Commitment and Culture as Mobilizing Mechanisms of Trade Unions and Community Organizations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 666-688, December.
    6. Robert Hickey & Sarosh Kuruvilla & Tashlin Lakhani, 2010. "No Panacea for Success: Member Activism, Organizing and Union Renewal," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 48(1), pages 53-83, March.
    7. Paul Blyton & Jean Jenkins, 2013. "Mobilizing Protest: Insights from Two Factory Closures," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 733-753, December.
    8. Nancy Brown Johnson & Paul Jarley, 2004. "Justice and Union Participation: An Extension and Test of Mobilization Theory," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(3), pages 543-562, September.
    9. Helge Hoel & David Beale, 2006. "Workplace Bullying, Psychological Perspectives and Industrial Relations: Towards a Contextualized and Interdisciplinary Approach," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(2), pages 239-262, June.
    10. Melvina Metochi, 2002. "The Influence of Leadership and Member Attitudes in Understanding the Nature of Union Participation," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 40(1), pages 87-111, March.
    11. Jane Holgate, 2015. "An International Study of Trade Union Involvement in Community Organizing: Same Model, Different Outcomes," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 460-483, September.
    12. Alex J. Wood, 2015. "Networks of injustice and worker mobilisation at Walmart," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 259-274, July.
    13. Dave Lyddon & Xuebing Cao & Quan Meng & Jun Lu, 2015. "A strike of ‘unorganised’ workers in a Chinese car factory: the Nanhai Honda events of 2010," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 134-152, March.
    14. Peter Gahan & Andreas Pekarek, 2013. "Social Movement Theory, Collective Action Frames and Union Theory: A Critique and Extension," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 754-776, December.
    15. Vidu Badigannavar & John Kelly, 2005. "Why Are Some Union Organizing Campaigns More Successful Than Others?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 515-535, September.
    16. Gregor Gall & Jack Fiorito, 2012. "Union Commitment and Activism in Britain and the United States: Searching for Synthesis and Synergy for Renewal," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(2), pages 189-213, June.
    17. Anthony Dobbins & Patrick Gunnigle, 2009. "Can Voluntary Workplace Partnership Deliver Sustainable Mutual Gains?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(3), pages 546-570, September.
    18. Donna M. Buttigieg & Stephen J. Deery & Roderick D. Iverson, 2008. "Union Mobilization: A Consideration of the Factors Affecting the Willingness of Union Members to Take Industrial Action," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 46(2), pages 248-267, June.
    19. Ana Lopes & Timothy Hall, 2015. "Organising migrant workers: the living wage campaign at the University of East London," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 208-221, May.
    20. Gregor Gall, 2001. "The Organization of Organized Discontent: The Case of the Postal Workers in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 39(3), pages 393-409, September.
    21. Andy Charlwood, 2004. "The New Generation of Trade Union Leaders and Prospects for Union Revitalization," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 379-397, June.
    22. Melanie Simms, 2015. "Accounting for Greenfield Union Organizing Outcomes," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 397-422, September.
    23. Melanie Simms & Deborah Dean, 2015. "Mobilising contingent workers: An analysis of two successful cases," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 36(1), pages 173-190, February.
    24. Michelle O'Sullivan & Thomas Turner, 2013. "Facilitators and Inhibitors of Collective Action: A Case Study of a US-Owned Manufacturing Plant," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 689-708, December.
    25. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2013. "Renewing Union Narrative Resources: How Union Capabilities Make a Difference," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 777-796, December.
    26. Edmund Heery, 2005. "The British Journal of Industrial Relations: Position and Prospect," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(1), pages 1-9, March.
    27. Christina Cregan & Timothy Bartram & Pauline Stanton, 2009. "Union Organizing as a Mobilizing Strategy: The Impact of Social Identity and Transformational Leadership on the Collectivism of Union Members," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(4), pages 701-722, December.
    28. Gill Kirton & Geraldine Healy, 2004. "Shaping Union and Gender Identities: A Case Study of Women‐Only Trade Union Courses," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 303-323, June.
    29. Jack Fiorito & Irene Padavic & Philip S. DeOrtentiis, 2015. "Reconsidering Union Activism and Its Meaning," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 556-579, September.
    30. Bruce E. Kaufman, 2010. "The Theoretical Foundation of Industrial Relations and its Implications for Labor Economics and Human Resource Management," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 64(1), pages 74-108, October.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sadık Kılıç, 2023. "Rethinking Mobilization Theory for Union Revitalization within the SSA Theory Framework," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1087-1098, August.

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