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'Survivor syndrome' - A management myth?
Journal of Managerial Psychology
Abstract
Research has indicated that employees who remain within an organization after significant downsizing or delayering will experience adverse effects as profoundly as those who have left. This phenomenon has been labelled the “survivor syndrome”. This article first of all examines data from an employee opinion survey in a large UK financial institution following sequential and significant restructuring. The empirical findings contradict some propositions suggested in former studies in that evidence of “survivor syndrome” was not apparent. Second, the article explores possible reasons for the non-existence of the syndrome. The findings are discussed in the light of the process of the redundancy programme.
... 4. The role or responsibility of immediate managers and HR professionals in dealing with workplace mobbing. 5. Best practices and policy recommendations for "effectively" dealing with workplace mobbing. ...
... Research indicates that surviving employees suffer the negative effects of terminations just as profoundly as those who are terminated (Baruch and Hind, 2000). Survivor syndrome is the emotional and attitudinal characteristics of those employees who have survived (Mossholder et al., 2000). ...
... Survivor syndrome is the emotional and attitudinal characteristics of those employees who have survived (Mossholder et al., 2000). Research has shown that survivors exhibit a plethora of problems, such as de-motivation, cynicism, insecurity, demoralization, and a significant decline in organizational commitment (Baruch and Hind, 2000). The emotional after-effects of fear, anger, frustration, anxiety, and mistrust on the part of the survivors pose a real threat to performance and productivity as a smaller workforce is expected to perform an increasing number of responsibilities. ...
Workplace mobbing and bullying are the most pressing and urgent problems which employees, managers, and executives of most businesses can face in their day-to-day activities. The HR managers are responsible for the effectiveness of the processes in the workplace management and for protecting employees from unfair harassment and humiliation. The systematization of literary sources enabled us to make conclusions that the most common forms of workplace mobbing include the spreading of malicious gossip aimed at ridiculing and bullying the victim in a department or organization. It is quite often that gossip is a malicious tool for distorting personal information that has nothing to do with the victim’s professional competence. In an extreme case, such humiliations may be distributed beyond the office or scope of the employee’s activity. The purpose of the research is to investigate various forms of workplace mobbing as well as its impact on employees, their ability to work in a team, and their effective operation in the company. The article substantiates the role of the HR department in controlling workplace mobbing, the primary function of which is to support the organization’s ability to always improve its work efficiency. Given their job responsibilities, HR managers should focus on the legal, ethical, and socially responsible aspects of the company on the implementation of the policy, which forms team relationships due to the principles of mutual respect and dignity under conditions of an inclusive work environment. Besides, managers can take measures to identify, prevent, and effectively resolve daily differences and conflicts promptly. The purpose of these activities is to help employees behave properly, rationally, and professionally, objectively adhering to policies and instructions, thereby creating a supportive workplace environment. The results of the research can be useful for HR managers to make sure all employees can work in a safe and healthy work environment. Keywords: workplace mobbing, mobbing, bullying, harassment, HR management, stonewalling, violence.
... Survivor syndrome, or survivor syndrome, is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes that he or she has done something wrong that others did not do while surviving a traumatic or tragic event, usually feeling guilty (Baruch & Hind, 2000). First detected in the 1960s, survivor syndrome is observed in survivors (survivors) from traumatic situations such as conflict, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, air accidents, and a wide range of layoffs; It refers to a psychological syndrome caused by negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, anxiety, and panic (Doherty & Horsted, 1995). ...
... One of the most negative experiences that survivors will experience after shrinkage is the survivor's syndrome called "Survivor Syndrome." Leavers syndrome is defined as a collection or set of responses and behaviors of those left behind (Baruch & Hind, 2000). ...
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic is perhaps the most important of the agenda issues that have negatively affected all people in the world both physiologically and psychologically. The change in living conditions of all people during the pandemic period constitutes the biggest problem. Great changes have been observed in the private and business lives of individuals in society. On the other hand, although healthcare professionals have a great role in this process, employees who carry out the nursing profession have caused many problems. The stress experienced by nurses, especially in the work environment, also negatively affects their private lives. These people wear out due to the necessity of nurses to protect themselves against the virus. Many of the nurses who could not bear this stress and distress resigned not to get sick. In this context, nurses who are left behind, who have to continue their jobs, have some negative feelings. The study aims to determine the survivors' syndrome experienced by nurses who had to continue their jobs during the pandemic period. The study's main question has been determined as "Is the survivor syndrome seen in nurses during the pandemic period?" In this context, the adoption of qualitative research methods in research Bolu (Turkey) province on nurses' task in a hospital-owned (n = 10) has been collected through semi-structured interview interviews. The data obtained have been analyzed through the Voyantools Program. As a result of the analysis, it has been determined that the nurses experienced burnout syndrome and experienced death anxiety and survivors syndrome. As a result of the research, various solution suggestions for the problems faced by nurses were presented.
... In the '90s, employees were extremely shocked by involuntary separation and it would break their trust. Nowadays, people are getting accustomed to it and they see redundancy as a necessary evil that's part of business life (Baruch & Hind, 2000;Hammond, Cross, Farrell & Eubanks, 2019). This scenario could be different in the developing world where levels of unemployment are too high and the learning experience of adopting best practices in downsizing programmes is still poor. ...
... In addition, open communication and quick decision-making by management are also vital practices, as they promote trust in the whole redundancy process. Hence, redundancy programmes that are implemented using logical and planned processes and procedures will most likely not end in survivor syndrome (Baruch & Hind, 2000). Retrenchment counselling is also an important ingredient for promoting a fair, smooth and successful downsizing exercise. ...
Nowadays, development across the world is an important aspect for society. The
term "development" has been viewed in terms of economic and social aspects and,
increasingly, ecological aspects that relate to achieving economic, social and environmental
sustainability (Koontz & Thomas, 2018). To support development, governments worldwide
have adopted a range of approaches in the journey of development. For instance,
governments have seized the monopoly of providing services in the guise of liberations
and privatization that resulted in the marketisation of service delivery. This has largely
been through the use of procurement and public-private partnerships as service delivery
options. The benefit of these approaches has been the need to spread money in the
economy. However, in the guise of spreading money in the economy, money has instead
spread across the borders of the national economy. To mitigate against this trend,
governments are seeking ways to harness the concept of procuring local content as a
sustainable approach to enabling citizens to grow with their own economy. This chapter
seeks to explore the meaning of local content procurement, policies associated with
local content, how procuring local content can support economic development, and its
challenges. The chapter ends with policies that can be adopted to procure local content
using procurement and public-private partnerships as co-production and delivery routes.
... They are rooted in the social aspects of the phenomenon. In fact, employee downsizing may decrease firm reputation (Schulz & Johann, 2018), demotivate the remaining employees and stimulate job insecurity (Baruch & Hind, 2000). ...
... Regarding internal costs, Noer (1993) described the "survivor syndrome" as the negative emotional effect on those employees that survive retrenchment: they experience a mix of negative feelings and concerns such as demotivation, job insecurity, lack of reciprocal commitment, depression and unfairness (Baruch & Hind, 2000). Another notable cost is the violation of the psychological contract between the organization and its employees, which leads to reduced trust, not only among those who lose their job, but also among those who remain employed (De Meuse, Bergmann, Vanderheiden, & Roraff, 2004). ...
Employee downsizing is a crucial choice that transcends the firm’s boundaries and has profound social implications. While the topic has been on researchers’ agenda for a long time, literature is still looking for a finer understanding of downsizing in family firms, which are the majority of employers worldwide. Using the Socio-Emotional Wealth perspective, this study explores the contingency effect of sales internationalization strategy on the relationship between family firm status and employee downsizing. Based on a large sample of private Spanish firms, our results reveal that the negative effect of family firm status on downsizing is mitigated at higher levels of export intensity, global focus and when export is done directly.
... The downsizing literature suggests that downsizing has occurred throughout the world (Lamsa and Takala, 2000;Macky, 2004), affected both blue-collar and white-collar workers (Littler, 2000), targeted lower-level workers, professionals, middle managers, and higherlevel workers (Littler, 1998), and permeated all industries (Macky, 2004). The prevalence of downsizing in Australia corresponds largely with developments in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan (Littler et al., 1997;Littler, 1998;Redman and Keithley, 1998;Ryan and Macky, 1998;Thornhill andSaunders, 1998, Baruch andHind, 2000;Lamsa and Takala, 2000;Griggs and Hyland, 2003;Macky, 2004). ...
... Significantly more research on the processes, phases, and stages of downsizing is critical to the understanding and full appreciation of downsizing. The ongoing popularity of downsizing as a global restructuring strategy (Baruch and Hind, 2000;Appelbaum and Patton, 2002;Gandolfi, 2006) in the face of a considerable increase of empirical evidence suggesting negative financial, organizational, and human consequences following downsizing (Morris et al., 1999;Littler, 2000;Macky, 2004), merits further examination of the downsizing process. More research on the commonalities and differences between downsizing as an incidental, one-off activity (Figure 2) as opposed to a recurring, perpetual endeavor ( Figure 3) is indispensable. ...
This Australian case study purported to conceptualize the downsizing process and to develop a preliminary conceptual framework depicting the phases of downsizing. The research examined perceptions of managers pertaining to aspects of the process of downsizing within
large Australian banks. The study showcases that downsizing was perceived as a multi-phase process comprising various distinct phases, namely pre, while, and post phases of downsizing. The
participating Australian bank managers confirmed the existence of downsizing as a process and embraced the concept of multiple phases. However, the participants pointed out that in practice only two phases, pre and post phases, were applicable. The study demonstrates that Australian banks adopted downsizing activities without adequate plans, policies, and programs in place. The announcement of a downsizing typically coincided with the downsizing commencement. The research showed that the while and post phases of downsizing were further divided into two separate stages, A and B. Downsizing was also understood as a concept involving multiple rounds. Therefore, a second alternative conceptual framework materialized taking into account that downsizing could be viewed as a recurring and perpetual rather than an incidental endeavor.
... Research indicates that surviving employees suffer the negative effects of downsizing just as profoundly as those who are laid off (Baruch & Hind, 2000). Survivor syndrome is the emotional and attitudinal characteristics of those employees who have survived a downsizing (Mossholder et al., 2000). ...
... Survivor syndrome is the emotional and attitudinal characteristics of those employees who have survived a downsizing (Mossholder et al., 2000). Research has shown that survivors exhibit a plethora of problems, such as de-motivation, cynicism, insecurity, demoralization, and a significant decline in organizational commitment (Baruch & Hind, 2000). The emotional after-effects of fear, anger, frustration, anxiety, and mistrust on the part of the layoff survivors pose a real threat to performance and productivity as a smaller workforce is expected to perform an increasing number of responsibilities. ...
... Downsizing may be perceived as a socially irresponsible practice due to the different social costs identified (internal and external social costs) (Drzensky & Heinz, 2015;Fisher & White, 2000). First, workforce reductions might imply social costs that internally affect the business, such as human capital losses and victims and survivors' perceptions (Baruch & Hind, 2000;Fisher & White, 2000;Lakshman et al., 2014). In this setting, downsizing represents a violation of the psychological contract between a firm and its employees. ...
... A further social cost of downsizing is typically its negative effect on the "survivors" (Brockner et al., 1993). Among other negative feelings, employees surviving downsizing tend to experience fear of losing their own job, guilt for still remaining in the firm while other colleagues are made redundant, anger, and lack of trust in the organization, depression, or lack of motivation (Baruch & Hind, 2000;Papplan & Teese, 1997). ...
This study seeks to investigate whether family firms are more likely to downsize their workforce than their non‐family counterparts. Drawing on socioemotional wealth approach, we first explore the effect of family presence on workforce downsizing. Furthermore, we examine the moderating role of R&D activity on the family presence–downsizing relationship. Our sample covers a panel of manufacturing SMEs in Spain over the 1993–2014 period. We find that family firms are less likely to downsize than non‐family firms. Our results also reveal a negative association between R&D activity and workforce downsizing. Finally, the relationship between family presence and downsizing is contingent upon R&D activity, that is, family firms engaged in R&D activities are less likely to downsize than non‐innovative family firms.
... Likewise, innovation benefits the individual, group or organization and has been discussed as arising out of problem identification or job dissatisfaction (West & Farr, 1990;Zhou & George, 2001). Dissatisfaction for survivors of downsizing may stem from perceived unfairness or injustice, a breach in psychological contract, a rise in job insecurity, increased workload, or loss of close co-workers (Baruch & Hind, 2000). ...
... Although a negative reaction is not an inevitable outcome of downsizing, the evidence suggests that survivors frequently exhibit negative reactions to the downsizing experience (Baruch & Hind, 2000). Here, we use the term innovative work behaviours (IWB) to capture behaviours relating to generating and promoting new ideas and solutions (creativity), as well as working towards the implementation of these ideas (Ng & Feldman, 2013). ...
The purpose of this study is to explore conditions in which innovative behaviour can have either desirable or undesirable effects. The current study surveyed employees who remained in an organization following downsizing. Voice costs and perceived influence were measured as boundary conditions. Based on our understanding of Conservation of Resources theory, these variables may be particularly important to consider how individuals view innovative work behaviours in stressful situations such as experiencing downsizing. The results of this study revealed that engagement in innovative work behaviours (IWB) was associated with reduced burnout in employees when they perceived few costs of speaking up in the post downsized environment, but at very high perceptions of voice cost (above 1.74 standard deviations above the mean), this relationship was positive. Similarly, and contrary to what was expected, engagement in IWB was negatively related to burnout when employees perceived they had little influence within the organization. We discuss possible interpretations of this unexpected result. This study adds to the small body of work that examines outcomes, rather than predictors, of innovative behaviour and also identifies conditions in which engaging in innovative behaviours has a negative impact on the individual.
... Understanding and stabilizing these feelings are useful in engaging in foresight/scenario planning exercises as these staff are responsible for restoring the organization. The term "survivor syndrome" is used in this paper to refer to this set of feelings, following Baruch and Hind (2000), specifically in the context of downsizing or redundancy, but can concern any other reason for reducing a workforce, such as downscoping, implementation of artificial intelligence systems or simply improving management processes, which itself has been a growing phenomenon and is seen as a part of work life (Datta et al., 2010). As a mental condition originally understood from the discipline of psychology that stems off from post-traumatic stress disorder, it relates to any "tragedy" felt by the sufferer and the overall guilt about surviving, what should have been done and what the survivor actually did (Hendriksen, 2018). ...
... This is worrying, given Armstrong-Stassen's (1994) suggestion that management need to ensure that perceived organizational support is sustained at all times to maintain motivation within the remaining workforce, and the survivors in particular need to feel that they have not been neglected and assistance has been provided, whether they utilize it or not. Again, organizational assistance is linked with perceived fairness which is increased if an organization is seen to assist survivors and victims, whereas the opposite effect will occur if assistance is not provided (see Baruch and Hind, 2000). ...
Purpose
The importance of foresight is discussed in relation to why traditional scenario planning methodology is problematic at achieving it. The “survivor syndrome” is borrowed from the human resources literature and presented as a metaphor for foresight to illustrate how better “scenarios” can be achieved by understanding the syndrome better. A practice perspective is given on the use of a seven-theme framework as a method of interviewing survivors. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws from an empirical research that took place during the 2008 global financial crisis to illustrate the richness of the insights that would otherwise not be obtainable through scenario planning methods that do not involve “survivors.” In that research, semi-structured interviews were employed with key personnel at multiple levels of one private and one public organization that had undergone a redundancy process at the time of the crisis to explore its effect on the remaining workforce.
Findings
The “survivor syndrome” itself would be minimized if managers consider the feelings of survivors with more open communication. Survivors in private firms were found generally to experience anxiety, but are more likely to remain more motivated, than their counterparts in the public sector. These detailed insights create more accurate “scenarios” in scenario planning exercises.
Originality/value
Organizational performance can be better enhanced if the survivor syndrome can be better managed. In turn, scenario planning, as a form of organizational foresight, is better practiced through managing the survivor syndrome. Scenario planning methodology has proliferated well in the human resource management literature.
... Understanding and stabilizing these feelings are useful in engaging in foresight/scenario planning exercises as these staff are responsible for restoring the organization. The term 'survivor syndrome' is used in this article to refer to this set of feelings, following Baruch and Hind (2000), specifically in the context of downsizing or redundancy, but can concern any other reason for reducing a workforce, such as downscoping, implementation of artificial intelligence systems or simply improving management processes, which itself has been a growing phenomenon and is seen as a part of work life (Datta et al. 2010). As a mental condition originally understood from the discipline of psychology that stems off from post-traumatic stress disorder, it relates to any 'tragedy' felt by the sufferer and the overall guilt about surviving, what should have been done and what the survivor actually did (Hendriksen, 2018). ...
... This is worrying, given Armstrong-Stassen's (1994) suggestion that management need to ensure that perceived organizational support is sustained at all times to maintain motivation within the remaining workforce, and the survivors in particular need to feel that they have not been neglected and assistance has been provided, whether they utilize it or not. Again, organizational assistance is linked with perceived fairness which is increased if an organization is seen to assist survivors and victims, whereas the opposite effect will occur if assistance is not provided (see Baruch and Hind, 2000). ...
Purpose: The importance of foresight is discussed in relation to why traditional scenario planning methodology is problematic at achieving it. The 'survivor syndrome' is borrowed from the human resources literature and presented as a metaphor for foresight to illustrate how better 'scenarios' can be achieved by understanding the syndrome better. A practice perspective is given on the use of a 7-theme framework as a method of interviewing survivors. Methodology: The article draws from an empirical research that took place during the 2008 global financial crisis to illustrate the richness of the insights that would otherwise not be obtainable through scenario planning methods that do not involve 'survivors'. In that research, semi-structured interviews were employed with key personnel at multiple levels of one private and one public organization that had undergone a redundancy process at the time of the crisis to explore its effect on the remaining workforce. Findings: The 'survivor syndrome' itself would be minimized if managers consider the feelings of survivors with more open communication. Survivors in private firms were found generally to experience anxiety, but are more likely to remain more motivated, than their counterparts in the public sector. These detailed insights create more accurate 'scenarios' in scenario planning exercises. Originality/value: Organizational performance can be better enhanced if the survivor syndrome can be better managed. In turn, scenario planning, as a form of organizational foresight, is better practiced through managing the survivor syndrome. Scenario planning methodology has proliferated well in the human resource management literature.
... Understanding and stabilizing these feelings are useful in engaging in foresight/scenario planning exercises as these staff are responsible for restoring the organization. The term "survivor syndrome" is used in this paper to refer to this set of feelings, following Baruch and Hind (2000), specifically in the context of downsizing or redundancy, but can concern any other reason for reducing a workforce, such as downscoping, implementation of artificial intelligence systems or simply improving management processes, which itself has been a growing phenomenon and is seen as a part of work life (Datta et al., 2010). As a mental condition originally understood from the discipline of psychology that stems off from post-traumatic stress disorder, it relates to any "tragedy" felt by the sufferer and the overall guilt about surviving, what should have been done and what the survivor actually did (Hendriksen, 2018). ...
... This is worrying, given Armstrong-Stassen's (1994) suggestion that management need to ensure that perceived organizational support is sustained at all times to maintain motivation within the remaining workforce, and the survivors in particular need to feel that they have not been neglected and assistance has been provided, whether they utilize it or not. Again, organizational assistance is linked with perceived fairness which is increased if an organization is seen to assist survivors and victims, whereas the opposite effect will occur if assistance is not provided (see Baruch and Hind, 2000). ...
... Trauma symptoms following these inter-ventions are well documented and are listed in Table 1. Organizational trauma not only affects those who are directly involved in the traumatic event, but also those who are indirectly involved -such as survivors and witnesses -who often report experiencing trauma just as profoundly as the victims (Allen, Freeman, Russell, Reizenstein, & Rentz, 2001;Baruch & Hind, 2000). Given the broad impact that downsizing and restructuring interventions have on the emotional well-being of employees, it is surprising that organizations often expect that impacted employees will easily embrace these changes and quickly move the organization to function optimally again. ...
... Aggression Intention to cause harm to, or within, the organization Anxiety Anticipation that uncertain danger is about to happen, which causes unhealthy nervousness Apprehension A dreaded and fearful anticipation that something bad will happen to oneself in the organization (Allen, Freeman, Russell, Reizenstein, & Rentz, 2001;Baruch & Hind, 2000). ...
Unresolved emotional trauma in many organizations blocks peoples' capacity to be effective and ability to perform. O.D. professionals cannot eliminate suffering, but can be instrumental in influencing the healing process. O.D. programs must therefore get a new focus on facilitating the healing of emotional trauma. This article describes a theoretical and conceptual background and an O.D. framework to organizational trauma, and provides a practical case study on the healing of trauma in organizations.
... Trauma symptoms following these inter-ventions are well documented and are listed in Table 1. Organizational trauma not only affects those who are directly involved in the traumatic event, but also those who are indirectly involved -such as survivors and witnesses -who often report experiencing trauma just as profoundly as the victims (Allen, Freeman, Russell, Reizenstein, & Rentz, 2001;Baruch & Hind, 2000). Given the broad impact that downsizing and restructuring interventions have on the emotional well-being of employees, it is surprising that organizations often expect that impacted employees will easily embrace these changes and quickly move the organization to function optimally again. ...
... Aggression Intention to cause harm to, or within, the organization Anxiety Anticipation that uncertain danger is about to happen, which causes unhealthy nervousness Apprehension A dreaded and fearful anticipation that something bad will happen to oneself in the organization (Allen, Freeman, Russell, Reizenstein, & Rentz, 2001;Baruch & Hind, 2000). ...
Unresolved emotional trauma in many organizations
blocks peoples’ capacity to be effective and ability to perform.
O.D. professionals cannot eliminate suffering, but
can be instrumental in influencing the healing process.
O.D. programs must therefore get a new focus on facilitating
the healing of emotional trauma. This article describes
a theoretical and conceptual background and an
O.D. framework to organizational trauma, and provides a
practical case study on the healing of trauma in organizations.
... Fourth, while both COR theory and some previous research in this area (e.g., Baruch and Hind, 2000;Konig et al., 2010;Schweiger and DeNisi, 1991;Vander Elst et al., 2010) are suggestive of the moderating role of communication in the job insecurityoutcome relationship, our study builds upon previous work by examining outcome variables not previously examined in earlier research. Specifically, our outcomes are drawn from three major dimensions of outcomes including employee attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction), behaviors (i.e., experiences of workplace accidents), and physical well-being (i.e., physical health complaints). ...
... Based on their analysis, they concluded that it is critical to continuously inform employees when downsizing is being considered in order to ward off the negative effects and to ensure that employees understand and are able to adapt to their new psychological contract with the organization. In line with these assertions, Baruch and Hind (2000) contrary to their original expectations -found no evidence for the 'survivor syndrome' in their study of layoff survivors. In follow-up interviews and surveys, they concluded that the reason so few negative outcomes were seen among employees in their study was due to a concerted effort on the part of management to consistently and openly communicate with employees during every stage of the organizational change process. ...
Using Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources (COR) theory as the theoretical framework, this study
explored the effectiveness of organizational communication in attenuating the negative effects
associated with job insecurity on employee attitudes, behaviors, and physical health. Data were
collected from 639 employees in six different companies. As predicted by COR theory, results
suggest that high job insecurity is related to lower job satisfaction, more workplace accidents,
and more health complaints. However, employees who perceived higher levels of positive
organizational communication practices reported fewer negative consequences of job insecurity
compared with employees who reported lower levels of organizational communication. Taken
together, it is suggested organizations that make a greater effort to communicate with employees
may effectively buffer the potentially negative consequences of job insecurity.
... Familiness can positively contribute to the future growth of a business when groups within family businesses-family and non-family employees-develop strong cohesion and effective communication skills (Weismeier-Sammer et al., 2013). Consequently, family firms are concerned that downsizing to preserve their competitive advantage may actually put the firm's reputation at risk (Schulz and Johann, 2018), demotivating the remaining employees and increasing job insecurity (Baruch and Hind, 2000). Accordingly, we contend that family firms are committed to preserving employment during hardships. ...
Purpose
By investigating the reactions of family businesses to COVID-19 pandemic this article aims to explaining how family firms are capable to preserve employment during hardship.
Design/methodology/approach
Stemming from resource-based-view, we theorise that familiness is not directly associated with new hiring but instead fully mediated by pivoting strategic decisions (the propensity to transform the business).
Findings
Our findings show that familiness triggers pivoting strategic decisions and consequently increases the likelihood of new hiring. Additionally, we found that the involvement of multiple generations strengthens this relationship.
Practical implications
Family firms must consolidate their family human and social resources (familiness) and assure the presence of multiple generations in the firm because they can leverage their entrepreneurial disposition and increase the need to preserve employment and new hires during crises.
Originality/value
The main contribution lies in the explanation of the mechanisms that family firms deploy to overcome a crisis and thus explains why some family firms are more resilient than others in relation to firm’s employment during hardship.
... Cf.Kinnie, Hutchinson, Purcell, 1998 (motivation); Redman, Keithley, 1998 (job satisfaction); Amstrong-Stassen, 2002 and Peterson, Herting, Hagberg, Theorell, 2005 (loyalty);Greenhalgh, Rosenblatt, 1984 (distrust) (Campbell-Jamison, Worrall, Cooper, 2001; and Gandolfi, 2005 (absenteeism);Baruch, Hind, 2000;Gandolfi, 2008 andGandolfi, Hansson, 2011 ("the survivor syndrome"). 7 Interestingly, the labour market insecurity is a generation-specific phenomenon affecting primarily the youngest and the oldest employees. ...
50+ workers at risk of redundancy, or what counsellors should know: A psychological perspective The article aims to outline the disintegration of behavioural organisation, occupational and family engagements in 50+ workers faced with increased job insecurity. The first part sketches a developmental portrayal of middle-aged people, 1 precarious job situations and its psychological consequences. The following parts draw on the findings of research on employment of 50-plussers as perceived by employers and social workers. This provides a multidimensional background for examining changes in the behaviours of people aged 50 and over as the threat to their jobs becomes more severe. To theoreticians, the article offers insights into interrelationships of various human behaviours and into the advancing process and mechanisms of behavioural disintegration in the situation of increasing threat. Labour market practitioners will obtain details concerning middle-aged people's behaviour in the unstable labour market, thereby extending their assessment beyond the "well-defined" vocational competencies. This may enhance opportunities for accurate identification of individual potentials underpinned by diverse ways of engaging with family and vocational pursuits, and consequently optimise the selection of helping interventions. The article addresses psychological changes in the behaviour of middle-aged people in the situation of growing perceived job insecurity. These issues are individually and socially impactful especially that the recent pension and retirement legislation, stipulating higher retirement age, has contributed to increasing the occupational activity rates in the middle-aged group. According to the latest data, 54% of 50-year-olds and 44.8% of people aged 55-64 are vocationally active (MPiPS 2013, Eurostat, 1 Throughout the article, "middle age, " "middle adulthood, " and "mid-life" are used interchangeably. They correspond to the characteristic changes which take place in human development between age 35/40 and 60/65 (Appelt, 2005). The research presented here included respondents from the second half of middle adulthood, i.e. people aged 50 to 65; the same group is referred to as 50-plussers or 50-year-olds.
Keywords: middle age, 50+ workers, threat of job loss, a sense of security, consulting, qualitative analysis, case study, data mining method, Quinlan's C4.5 algorithm
... GKS; işgücü azaltmalarının ardından geride kalan çalışanların tutum, duygu ve algılarını tanımlayan genel bir kavramdır (Makawatsakul & Kleiner, 2003;Devine vd., 2003;Allen vd., 2001;Iverson & Pullman, 2000;Mossholder vd., 2000). İlerleyen yıllarda kavram; küçülme ya da artıklık durumunda geride kalanların deneyimlediği olumsuz bir duygu grubuna atıfta bulunmak amacıyla kullanılmaya başlanmıştır (Baruch & Hind, 2000). Bununla birlikte GKS; yapay zekâ (AI) sistemlerinin kullanılmaya başlaması ya da iş yaşamının bir bileşeni olarak kabul edilen yönetim süreçlerini iyileştirme çalışmaları (Datta vd., 2010) [326] çalışanların pek çoğu işlerini kaybederken, işlerini koruyabilen çalışanlar da kendilerini suçlu hissetmektedir. ...
... Mass layoffs and mergers or acquisitions produce negative psychological responses in surviving employees and between management and peers [1], [16], [44]. They tend to be more insecure, less creative, less committed, and less trusting of leadership. ...
... Changes, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), involve changes in management, organizational climate, workforce composition, and bring a sense of uncertainty and insecurity to survivors. Survivors refer to employees who remain within an organization after a significant organizational change (Baruch & Hind, 2000) such as mergers and acquisitions. M&A activity is increasing and will continue to grow (Weber, Tarba, & Öberg, 2013). ...
Editorship. Citation (APA Style):
Carrión-Tavárez, Á. (Ed.) (2016). Fórum Empresarial, 21(1), 1-78.
... Clearly, the downsizing of workforces is not a business phenomenon of the past. Rather, it has maintained and even increased its popularity as a deliberate restructuring strategy in all industries (Morris et al., 1999), across the world (Dolan, Belout, and Balkin, 2000), and into the new millennium (Baruch and Hind, 2000;Lamsa and Takala, 2000;Gandolfi and Neck, 2003). ...
Since the mid-1990s, Australian and New Zealand banks have been slashing their workforces steadily. In light of further downsizings predicted, it was of considerable interest to examine the implementation strategies. This study has revealed three findings. First, Australian banks primarily adopted workforce reduction strategies, whereas New Zealand banks employed a mixture of organization redesign, workforce reduction, and systemic strategies. Second, Australian banks had considerable depth in their downsizing, whereas New Zealand banks had more breadth in their overall strategies. Third, Australian banks adopted reorientation approaches, whereas New Zealand banks were more inclined to embrace reinforcement approaches. It remains unclear as to why large Australian and New Zealand banks have diverged in their approaches to downsizing. It has been suggested that government interference, executive remuneration, industrial relations demands, national and international market pressures, and the downsizing history of individual industries and organizations, on the one hand, and differences in national cultures and cultural values on the other, may have influenced the adoption of downsizing implementation strategies. It has also been shown that the adoption of downsizing has produced negative organizational, financial, and social consequences in both countries.
... Most of times, PTSD diagnosis was used for describing such symptoms, as listed in Da Costa's syndrome, experienced by militaries (Bouchard et al., 2012;Lande et al., 2010;Lewis et al., 2015). It may be of interest that the well-described 'shell shock' during the World War I (Jones et al., 2007), and the 'concentration camp syndrome' (Bower, 1994) or 'survivor syndrome' (Baruch & Hind, 2000) during the World War II are also presented as PTSD-like conditions as well as any other stress-reaction associated with physical symptoms (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). Our review pointed out that militaries seem to be at higher risk for cardiovascular disorders (Falaschi et al., 2003;Gantt et al., 2017;Wittels et al., 1994), independently of their physical fitness (Miyakoda et al., 1990;Wittels et al., 1994), which is related to major HR and HRV and increased mortality in the long term. ...
Soldier's Heart (SH) is a former medical diagnosis, rarely mentioned nowadays, presented under several other names. Considering the controversy regarding the removal of Soldier's Heart diagnosis from DSM-5, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate its usage in the clinical practice. Information on diagnosis, military stress, heart rate variability, treatment, and prognosis were collected from 19 studies included after a systematic literature search. Considering the lack of adequate use of Soldier's Heart diagnosis and the diagnostic overlapping with other conditions, the present systematic review supports the inclusion of Soldier's Heart under the umbrella of posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs). This proposal is also in line with the conception that physical symptoms are relevant features often associated with generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. Also, it will be described the higher prevalence of cardiological comorbidities in SH and possible cardiological consequences. Pharmacotherapy based on benzodiazepines and beta-blockers, as well as biofeedback and mindfulness techniques are considered to be useful treatment options. Further studies are needed to better define psychopathological domains of this syndrome and possible novel treatment targets.
... For instance, in the absence of economic reasons to undertake LLDs, employees' morale, trust, pride, engagement, and productivity are often damaged (Eby and Buch 1998). Fired employees may claim contractual losses and demand compensation (Serfling 2016), whereas the remaining employees may feel demotivated, guilt and insecurity about their future (Baruch and Hind 2000). Trevor and Nyberg (2008) find that LLDs lead to a substantial increase in voluntary turnover of staff in the following year. ...
This paper examines whether firms strategically legitimize large labor dismissals (LLDs) by performing ex-ante downward earnings management. We further assess whether the effect is larger under stakeholder pressure and whether these practices influence the external perception of firms’ behavior. As laying off employees without an economic reason is perceived as a breach of the social contract, stakeholders pressure firms to provide economic justification for LLDs. We argue that firms strategically legitimize LLDs by artificially worsening their financial performance through downward earnings management. From a sample of European listed firms for the period 1998–2014, using a propensity score matching model to control for differences in observable characteristics between LLD and non-LLD firms, we find that firms manage their earnings downward in the year prior to LLDs. These results are more pronounced in the presence of high stakeholder pressure. As such, firms with (1) stronger trade unions, (2) higher visibility, (3) stricter employment protection legislation, and (4) more stakeholder-oriented legal environments have stronger incentives to manage earnings downward before LLDs. Finally, we document that downward earnings management prior to LLDs is effective at legitimizing LLDs, offsetting the negative external perceptions of firms in the aftermath of LLDs. This study contributes to the business ethics literature by identifying unintended consequences of stakeholder pressure around LLDs. It also brings important empirical insights into how ethically questionable decisions are strategically legitimized through further unethical practices.
... 21 | NÚM. 1 | VERANO 2016 ISSN 1541-8561 Changes, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), involve changes in management, organizational climate, workforce composition, and bring a sense of uncertainty and insecurity to survivors. Survivors refer to employees who remain within an organization after a significant organizational change (Baruch & Hind, 2000) such as mergers and acquisitions. M&A activity is increasing and will continue to grow (Weber, Tarba, & Öberg, 2013). ...
Las fusiones y adquisiciones (F-A) afectan el contrato psicológico de los empleados. Este estudio evaluó el impacto de las F-A en el contrato psicológico, la satisfacción laboral, el compromiso organizacional, la intención de dejar la empresa, y si la explicación creíble moderó las reacciones de los empleados. Se realizaron análisis estadísticos de los datos de 196 encuestados de dos farmacéuticas en Puerto Rico. Los resultados revelaron una correlación inversa entre la percepción de violación del contrato psicológico (VCP) y las variables satisfacción laboral y compromiso organizacional. También confirmaron una relación directa entre la VCP y la variable intención de marcharse. Este estudio encontró un efecto de la variable moderadora explicación creíble sobre las variables satisfacción laboral y compromiso organizacional. La comprensión de la teoría del contrato psicológico puede reducir la violación percibida y su impacto en las actitudes de los empleados.
... and Baruch and Hind (2000) posit that it was becoming increasingly well documented that employees who remain within an organization after significant downsizing often experience the adverse effects of the change as profoundly as those who had left. West (2000) adds, survivors also experience symptoms such as guilt, anxiety, fear, anger, and in more severe cases, depression or other emotional and physical ailments. ...
This study examines the effect of retrenchment on employees’ service delivery: a study of ten districts of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) in Southeast Nigeria. The study was necessitated by the alarming rate of retrenchment across various industries in Nigeria particularly the energy sector that is a major driver of economic growth and development in the country. The poor service delivery of the sector has been a teething problem to both the citizens and organizations that need their services. With the recent restructuring of the sector and emergence of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) with its attendant retrenchment, it becomes more constricting what the service delivery of the retrenchment survivors will be. This study therefore, modelled variables like employee work load, longer working hours, pay cut, depression and anxiety and restructuring of work to ascertain how they have influenced on employees’ service delivery in Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) using an econometric regression model of the Ordinary Least Square (OLS). Findings revealed that with the exception of longer working hours that were not significant, all other variables (employee work load, pay cut, depression and anxiety; and restructuring of work) had significant effect on employees’ service delivery. Based on the findings, the study recommends that electricity distribution companies should adequately adjust employees work load, increase survivors pay, restore confidence on the survivors and ensure work place harmony during restructuring of work to enable them improve their service delivery.
... Initial experimental studies focused on the event of layoffs and regarded the negative reactions among the remaining workers after layoffs as a form of survivor guilt (Brockner et al., 1985), a concept that originates from studies of survivors of the holocaust (Baruch & Hind, 2000). They hypothesized that survivors, similar to survivors of the holocaust, natural disasters or major accidents, would feel a sense of remorse or a feeling of guilt based on that they, rather than their co-workers, could have just as easily been dismissed, producing a kind of positive inequity, which decreases the comparison to other's outcomes, and in turn will have motivational consequences (Brockner et al., 1985). ...
Workforce reduction is often found to have a negative impact on the
remaining workers. This study examines a case where organizational
commitment increased among the remaining workers after a
workforce reduction programme. Following the process in which
the workforce reduction programme was implemented, the paper
identifies several elements in the way the workforce reduction
was implemented that may have contributed to the increasing
commitment among the remaining workers. More specifically, the
involvement of workers’ representatives, the way the workforce
reduction was communicated, how the future of the workplace
was framed and how workers were offered a choice to leave
voluntarily, were identified as important for the remaining
workers’ reactions. The paper thus contributes to previous
research by adding to our understanding of how involvement and
the nature of voluntary redundancies can affect the remaining
workers, and can therefore also provide more specific
recommendations to change managers of how to manage
redundancies in a way that does not reduce the capability of the
company in the future.
... Further research on the rationale of the selection of implementation techniques and the effectiveness of the various downsizing tools is pivotal to the overall understanding and appreciation of downsizing. A continuation of the study of the downsizing phenomenon is vitally important given the prediction that downsizing is likely to remain a restructuring of choice (Baruch & Hind 2000;Gandolfi 2006) for corporations and governmental agencies around the globe (Macky 2004;Mirabal & DeYoung 2005). At the same time, this assertion is equally surprising given the plethora of empirical evidence suggesting adverse financial, organizational, and human consequences associated with the adoption of downsizing (Zyglidopoulos 2003;Williams 2004;Gandolfi & Neck 2005). ...
Large Australian and Swiss banks have been trimming their workforces since the mid-1990s. With further rounds of downsizing activities predicted, this study sought to identify, examine, and compare the adopted organizational downsizing implementation strategies. The primary purpose of this cross-cultural study was to determine how large Australian and Swiss banks implemented downsizing in their most recent endeavors. The research has revealed three key findings. First, Australian banks primarily adopted workforce reduction strategies, whereas Swiss banks employed a mixture of organization redesign, workforce reduction, and systemic strategies. Second, Australian banks had considerable depth in their downsizing, whereas Swiss banks had more breadth in their overall strategies. Third, Australian banks favored reorientation approaches, whereas Swiss banks embraced reinforcement approaches. It remains unclear as to why large Australian and Swiss banks differed in the selection of implementation strategies and why they diverged in their overall approaches to downsizing. Further research is required to explore aspects that are likely to influence the adoption of downsizing strategies in both Australia and Switzerland.
... The downsizing of organizational workforces is not a business phenomenon of the recent past. Rather, it has maintained and even increased its popularity and pervasiveness as a deliberate restructuring strategy in all industries (Morris et al., 1999), across the world (Dolan, Belout, & Balkin, 2000), and into the new millennium (Baruch & Hind, 2000;Lamsa & Takala, 2000;Gandolfi, 2003). Given the apparent absence of positive outcomes from downsizing (Cascio, 1993), the frequency of negative implications following downsizing (Morris et al., 1999), the ongoing popularity of downsizing (Harrison, 2000;Gandolfi, 2003), and the assertion of scholars that downsizing is still regarded as an understudied business phenomenon (Luthans & Sommer, 1999), this study aims to examine the adopted downsizing implementation strategies of large banks in Australia and New Zealand. ...
The Australian and New Zealand banking industries have been cutting their workforces steadily since the mid-1990s. With further rounds of workforce downsizing predicted, it was of considerable interest and importance to examine the implementation strategies that large Australian and New Zealand banks have adopted in their latest downsizing endeavors. This study has revealed three major findings. First, Australian banks tended to primarily adopt workforce reduction strategies, whereas New Zealand banks employed a mixture of organization redesign strategies, workforce reduction strategies, and systemic strategies. Second, Australian banks were perceived to have considerable depth in their downsizing, whereas New Zealand banks had more breadth in their overall strategies. Third, Australian banks favored to adopt reorientation approaches, whereas New Zealand banks were more inclined to embrace reinforcement (convergence) approaches. It remains unclear as to why large Australian and New Zealand banks have diverged in their approaches and strategies to downsizing and in their differing selection of available implementation strategies. Government interference, executive remuneration, industrial relations demands, competitive national and international market pressures, and the downsizing history of individual industries and organizations, on the one hand, and differences in national cultures and cultural values on the other, may have influenced the adoption of downsizing implementation strategies. At the same time, it has also been shown that downsizing has engendered negative financial, organizational, and social consequences in both Australia and New Zealand.
... Although the di erent usage indicates some di erence in meaning at certain points, for example, 'exit' meaning leaving the organization, while 'turnover' may mean also changing the position within the organization, many authors use them interchangeably. The issue of exit -leaving the organization -has been discussed in extant literature within the context of organizational processes such as downsizing and layo (Brockner et al., 1997;Baruch and Hind, 2000). Much less attention has been focused on voluntary leaving based on choices made by the employee him or herself. ...
... In line with these assertions, Baruch and Hind (2000)-contrary to their original expectations-found no evidence for the "survivor syndrome" in their study of layoff survivors. In follow-up interviews and surveys, they concluded that the reason so few negative outcomes were seen among employees in their study was due to a concerted effort on the part of management to consistently and openly communicate with employees during every stage of the organizational change process. ...
This article tackles the important subject of job insecurity, unemployment, and its effects on well-being. Its purpose is to evaluate the prevalence and causes of these phenomena and review the latest research suggesting that they are related to a myriad of outcomes that can reduce organizational well-being. Although research indicates that these consequences are overwhelmingly negative, this article also reviews recent research that suggests a number of effective organizational interventions aimed at attenuating-and sometimes even reversing-the potentially negative effects of job insecurity and the threat of unemployment. Finally, this article suggests a number of positive outcomes of providing secure work for employees despite current workplace trends away from traditional psychological contracts that exchange hard work and loyalty for job security.
... By addressing negative reactions after its downsizing, Goldberg's efforts aim to combat what the literature refers to as 'survivor syndrome' (Baruch and Hind 2000). The term 'survivor syndrome' characterizes negative responses to downsizings that can stem from increased workloads (Greenglass and Burke 2000), loss of job security (Hellgren et al. 1999), or mistrust (Niehoff et al. 2001). ...
Aimed at improving firm performance and competitiveness, employee downsizing has established itself as a widespread strategy in today's business environment. The literature, however, highlights unequivocal findings that many downsizing initiatives fail to yield the expected results. Several scholars have therefore called for more research exploring critical moderators and antecedents of effective downsizing processes. In response to this call, this paper theoretically explores the role of rumor during employee downsizing processes. While prior research has frequently emphasized the importance of communication during downsizing, what has been largely neglected is the often-encountered grapevine activity during employee downsizing. By theoretically analyzing rumor as an informal sensemaking process, we extend and contribute insights into contingencies of employee downsizing and informal communication.
... Further research on the rationale of the selection of implementation techniques and the effectiveness of the various downsizing tools is pivotal to the overall understanding and appreciation of downsizing. A continuation of the study of the downsizing phenomenon is vitally important given the prediction that downsizing is likely to remain a restructuring of choice (Baruch & Hind 2000;Gandolfi 2006) for corporations and governmental agencies around the globe (Macky 2004;Mirabal & DeYoung 2005). At the same time, this assertion is equally surprising given the plethora of empirical evidence suggesting adverse financial, organizational, and human consequences associated with the adoption of downsizing (Zyglidopoulos 2003;Williams 2004;Gandolfi & Neck 2005). ...
Large Australian and Swiss banks have been trimming their workforces since the mid-1990s. With further rounds of downsizing activities predicted, this study sought to identify, examine, and compare the adopted organizational downsizing implementation strategies. The primary purpose of this cross-cultural study was to determine how large Australian and Swiss banks implemented downsizing in their most recent endeavors. The research has revealed three key findings. First, Australian banks primarily adopted workforce reduction strategies, whereas Swiss banks employed a mixture of organization redesign, workforce reduction, and systemic strategies. Second, Australian banks had considerable depth in their downsizing, whereas Swiss banks had more breadth in their overall strategies. Third, Australian banks favored reorientation approaches, whereas Swiss banks embraced reinforcement approaches. It remains unclear as to why large Australian and Swiss banks differed in the selection of implementation strategies and why they diverged in their overall approaches to downsizing. Further research is required to explore aspects that are likely to influence the adoption of downsizing strategies in both Australia and Switzerland.
Purpose
This study explores the concept of “workplace survivor syndrome” (WSS) using bibliometric analysis and literature review, thereby identifying the avenues for future research in business management.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a methodological combination of bibliometric analysis and literature review. The methodological order is as follows: using the Scopus database and identifying 118 articles from ABDC listed journals, performance analysis by VOS viewer (citation analysis), science mapping analysis by Biblioshiny (visualisation and graphical presentation), and finally, the content analysis of the best 40 articles with a minimum of 50 citations and without any year restriction.
Findings
The bibliometric analysis reveals the most influential authors, articles, journals, countries, publication trends, impactful articles, and impactful authors of workplace survivor syndrome research, along with popular keywords used in this area. The content analysis identified three themes: emotional, cognitive, and behavioural syndrome. The content analysis reported the central mechanism adopted in 40 articles, including theories, methodologies, variables, sample size, etc. Additionally, the study explored the positive reviews on WSS.
Research limitations/implications
The study considered only the articles from the ABDC journal quality list for the review.
Originality/value
The article is persuasively the first research to provide the intellectual structure and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of workplace survivor syndrome.
Purpose
This study aims to address the question of why managers make different decisions in employee downsizing when their firms face external threats. Our research intends to shed light on whether and how CEOs' cognition (motivational attributes associated with regulatory focus) influences their decision-making and firms’ strategic actions on downsizing under high resource scarcity in the industry environment.
Design/methodology/approach
We used a longitudinal panel of 5,544 firm-year observations of US firms from 2003 to 2015 to test our conceptual model. The data was obtained from various sources, including corporate earnings call transcripts and archival databases. We used panel logistic regressions with both fixed and random effects in our research design.
Findings
Our results suggest that CEOs' motivational attributes could influence their employee downsizing decisions in response to external threats. We find that CEOs who are more promotion-focused (a stronger drive towards achieving ideals) are less likely to lay off employees during high resource scarcity. Conversely, CEOs with a higher prevention focus (a greater concern for security) do not have a meaningful impact on employee downsizing during periods of external resource scarcity.
Originality/value
Previous research has argued that a significant external threat would diminish individuals' impact on firm strategies and outcomes. Our findings challenge this idea, indicating that CEOs with a stronger drive towards achieving ideals are less inclined to lay off employees when resources are scarce in the environment. This study contributes to behavioral strategy research by providing new insights into how upper echelons’ cognition can influence their decision-making and firms’ employee downsizing.
The present study offers new insights on ventures undergoing founder exit. Specifically, it explores miasma as one potentially negative outcome. Miasma, a concept adapted from the organizational literature, refers to a state of contagion or pollution that affects all members of an organization causing potentially irreparable damage. This study develops a model of miasma in venture contexts when founders exit, a term we refer to as entrepreneurial miasma. This model includes the antecedents, moderating and mediating variables and outcomes of miasma. The purpose of this model is to develop insights into how miasma may be prevented and how ventures may work through it once it has occurred. Specifically, the study offers guidance for new management leading ventures on how to best understand, reestablish and build relationships with employees who are struggling with the exit of the founder to protect employee productivity and firm performance. The study also contributes to the organizational miasma literature by strengthening and clarifying the construct and its implications in both organizational and venture contexts.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework of employee engagement and employer branding of downsized organizations. It examines the association of certain enablers (resonant leadership, internal corporate communication, knowledge sharing, continuous learning, intrapreneurship, and perceived communication satisfaction) with employee engagement. Further, it investigates the association of employee engagement with employer branding. A sample of 220 middle managers of IT/ITES companies from select states of India were empirically tested to examine the proposed relationships. These managers are from the MNCs that have downsized since 2008-09 economic recession. The hypothesized relationship was tested using Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS 21 software package. Results indicate that internal corporate communication, knowledge sharing, continuous learning, intrapreneurship, and perceived communication satisfaction were positively associated with employee engagement. Employee engagement is also positively associated with employer branding. However, resonant leadership style is negatively associated with employee engagement. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature of survivor syndrome by providing a theoretical framework of employee engagement in downsized firms, and subsequently rebuilding organizations as a strong employer brand. This study further establishes reliability and validity of the variables used in the conceptual framework. This study would guide future managers to decide an alternative measure to downsizing. A longitudinal research can be carried out to check cause and effect relationships among the variables. Large samples can be used to generalize the findings in Indian IT/ITES sector. A comparative study can be done between public and private organizations.
Based on a unique before-and-after research design for a study of a large financial services provider, this paper demonstrates how a sudden and substantial reduction in the number of formal positions affects an organization's voluntary ideation network in unexpected ways. The network of relations maintained to voluntarily (informally) exchange new ideas within a firm is more resilient to exogenous restructuring than the current literature suggests. Drawing on network theory, we show that the positioning of employees in an organization's instrumental workflow network prior to a major restructuring determines the degree to which they remain engaged with ideation activity. In addition, drawing on social exchange theory, we predict and find that the value of inputs provided to peers prior to downsizing positively moderates the likelihood that ideation activity persists. Thus, we contribute to research on organization restructuring and the evolution of social relations under conditions of uncertainty.
A era do downsizing (CALDAS, 2000) se alastra sobre o jornalismo brasileiro. De forma cíclica e ininterrupta desde 2012, jornalistas são expulsos dos empregos e do mercado de trabalho na área – seja em reduções cirúrgicas de gastos ou em demissões coletivas, conhecidas no jargão de classe como “passaralhos”. O grande êxodo das redações, fenômeno que atinge todo o mundo (REINARDY, 2016) e levou à demissão milhares de profissionais da imprensa no país, é uma das evidências de um setor que tenta se adaptar às transformações do cenário instável da era informacional (CASTELLS, 2011), com alterações profundas na produção e no consumo de notícias. Falências, fusões e enxugamento organizacional se incorporam à rotina da imprensa e mudam as vidas tanto dos que são demitidos quanto dos que continuam em atuação, com insegura e sobrecarga de trabalho. As escolhas da imprensa são mudar ou morrer (TANDOC, 2014), em um processo cada vez mais evidente, para os trabalhadores, de destruição e reconstrução de saberes, práticas e valores de ofício. Apesar de o jornalismo estar em uma espiral da morte (MCCHESNEY, 2016) e seu fenômeno lembrar o desmonte do trabalho bancário (OLTRAMARI, 2010), é irrisória a produção acadêmica brasileira sobre a situação desse contingente ocupacional expulso de sua atividade. Em busca do entendimento dessas mudanças, esta dissertação investiga como a era do downsizing impacta a percepção dos jornalistas em relação a sua profissão, a seu trabalho e a seus planos de continuar na atividade. Para tanto, este estudo qualitativo básico, de natureza exploratória e interpretativa, realizou investigação empírica por meio de três grupos focais (MORGAN, 1996, 1997) na cidade de Porto Alegre. Selecionados por meio da técnica de snowball, foram ouvidos 18 jornalistas que foram vítimas ou sobreviventes da demissão coletiva. Em atenção à necessidade de conciliar informações multiníveis ao estudar ocupações e estruturas de trabalho em conflito (ABBOTT, 1993), são abordados os níveis macrocontextual, do sistema produtivo e do mundo do trabalho na pós-modernidade (FARIA, 2003, 2009; HARVEY, 1998); mesocontextual, da indústria e da profissão jornalística (FONSECA, 2005; MARCONDES FILHO, 2000; NEVEU, 2006; SCHUDSON, 1978; WAISBORD, 2013), e microcontextual, a respeito dos efeito do downsizing sobre os indivíduos (GREENHALGH; ROSENBLATT, 2010; NOER, 2009). Em consonância com a literatura adotada e a análise de conteúdo dos grupos focais (BARDIN, 2011), identificou-se que a vivência do downsizing provoca nos jornalistas a percepção de que as relações de trabalho foram intensificadamente precarizadas; há uma desesperança em relação às organizações empregadoras; tem-se a sensação de destruição e reconstrução de valores e práticas do ofício; e o exercício laboral causa exaustão e insatisfação. O downsizing é percebido como expressão de um declínio organizacional irreversível, no qual a demissão parece ser irremediável. As condições no presente levam os trabalhadores a projetarem o futuro em duas direções: a desistência, a partir da evasão da profissão; e a resistência, por meio da retomada de valores basilares, com a reafirmação da função social e da credibilidade; ou pela adaptação ao mercado em mutação, adquirindo novas qualificações e reinventando como fazer e “vender” o trabalho.
In Poland, there is a campaign to criminalise in vitro fertilization, led by the Catholic church. This article explores how this campaign makes “monsters” of IVF children in its discourse, that is, embodiments of “the other” in the sense of Frankenstein's monster. Basing the analysis primarily on Catholic mass media publications, the article investigates the discursive strategies employed to oppose IVF, most notably by the Catholic clergy and activists and journalists associated with the Church. They attribute “monstrosity” to the children in the following ways: physical (possible bodily deformity), psychological (survivor syndrome, identity crisis), social (loneliness, uncertain place in family relations), and ethical (a life burdened with the deaths of many embryos). Although the world of families with IVF does not provide examples of children who could be considered monsters in any of these terms, these arguments have become the primary reasons given for banning IVF.
Résumé
En Pologne, une campagne dirigée par l'Église catholique cherche à criminaliser la fécondation in vitro. Cet article analyse comment, dans son discours, cette campagne transforme les enfants de la FIV en « monstres », c'est-à-dire en incarnation de « l'autre » au sens du monstre de Frankenstein. Se fondant principalement sur les publications des médias catholiques, l'article enquête sur les stratégies discursives utilisées pour s'opposer à la FIV, notamment par le clergé et les militants catholiques ainsi que les journalistes associés avec l'Église. Ils classent la « monstruosité » des enfants de la manière suivante : physique (possible difformité physique), psychologique (syndrome du survivant, crise d'identité), sociale (solitude, place incertaine dans les liens familiaux) et éthique (une vie grevée par le décès de nombreux embryons). Bien que les familles ayant eu recours à la FIV ne fournissent pas d'exemples d'enfants pouvant être considérés comme des monstres dans aucun de ces sens, ces arguments sont devenus les principaux motifs d'interdiction de la FIV.
Resumen
En Polonia, existe una campaña para penalizar la fertilización in vitro, dirigida por la Iglesia católica. En este artículo se explora cómo esta campaña crea “monstruos” de los niños productos de FIV en su discurso, es decir, encarnación de “lo otro” en el sentido del monstruo de Frankenstein. Basando el análisis principalmente en publicaciones de los medios masivos católicos, el artículo investiga las estrategias discursivas empleadas para oponerse a la FIV, en particular el clero católico y activistas y periodistas asociados con la Iglesia. Atribuyen la “monstruosidad” a los niños de las siguientes maneras: física (posible deformidad corporal), psicológica (síndrome de sobreviviente, crisis de identidad), social (soledad, lugar inestable en las relaciones familiares) y ética (una vida cargada con la muerte de muchos embriones). Aunque el mundo de las familias con FIV no ofrece ejemplos de niños que se podrían considerar como monstruos en cualquiera de estos términos, estos argumentos han pasado a ser las principales razones planteadas a favor de la prohibición de la FIV.
Offshore outsourcing has grown as a form of industrial organisation to increase profitability of firms. However, offshoring may be less lucrative than envisaged, due to the presence of hidden costs. We study the strategic interaction amongst onshore Cournot firms in the decision to offshore when they receive signals about offshore hidden costs. The analysis helps suggest policy implications for countries which are potential offshoring locations. We find the precision of signals and the range of possible hidden costs to be crucial in determining offshoring destinations. Updating of information about hidden costs leads to different equilibria including herding in offshoring.
The concept of survivor syndrome is a phenomenon associated with layoffs and downsizing. Research suggests that along with those who have been downsized, survivors of these traumatic events are also likely to experience significant and adverse effects. These negative effects are wide ranging and include an erosion of satisfaction, commitment, motivation, trust, performance, creativity, social networks, and work-life balance.
The restructuring of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit during 2006 had been a contentious topic of debate among the South African non-governmental sphere and prosecutors who deal with FCS-related matters and also among members of this unit. This process caused widespread concern among internal and external stakeholders. This research aimed to identify and describe the impact of the restructuring process on this unit’s functions to assess the internal and external climate on service delivery. After the re-introduction of this unit to its former structure in 2010 the impact the 2006 restructuring process had on the unit’s functions was of importance. This article is a report on the impact of the restructuring process on the internal and external climate of service delivery of data, generated from a sample of FCS members, prominent non-governmental organisations and senior public prosecutors The experiences of the selected sample was probed by means of individual interviews and focus group interviews, using a semi-structured interview schedule, to promote knowledge and understanding of the restructuring process through impact evaluation. From the results of this research, it appeared that the restructuring of this unit had been unsuccessful, since this process had a detrimental effect on the service delivery of the unit as well as on the client system it served. This study was conducted in 2007/08 and was restricted to the West Rand policing area in Gauteng. This study concluded that the restructuring of the FCS impacted negatively on the services rendered by this unit.
The practice of consultation between senior managers and employee representatives has a long history in British employment relations yet has often been a poor cousin to collective bargaining. Two trends have elevated the importance of consultation. First, the decline in trade union membership and the retreat from collective bargaining in the private sector has meant that consultation is often the only form of collective employee voice available. Second, since the 1970s the European Union (EU) has embarked on programme of legislative support for consultation, most recently in the information and consultation directive of 2002. The United Kingdom's Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations implementing the directive became fully operational in 2008. The book charts the meaning and development of consultation in the twentieth century and explores the justifications for the practice. The way EU intervention to promote consultation evolved and changed is analysed with particular attention to the adoption of the ICE directive. The half-hearted response to EU consultation initiatives in Britain is analysed with a critical assessment of UK governments' handling of the issue, employer hostility, and union ambivalence. The take-up and impact of consultation regulations, especially ICE, is assessed and the processes involved in effective consultation explored. The dynamics of consultation are described drawing a contrast between 'active' consultation, and more limited consultation used as a means of communication. The UK experience is compared with practices in Europe. Suggestions are made to improve take-up of consultation and changes needed to the EU directive and ICE regulations.
http://is.muni.cz/elportal/?id=1166424
Since the 1980s, many employment relationships in Taiwan have evolved from regular and long-term to contingent and short-term, with widespread downsizing adding a considerable amount of instability. Since these changes are part of a global trend, there is a growing literature concerning their influences on worker attitudes and work life quality. Here we analyze the impacts of changing employment practices on the quality of work life among Taiwanese workers, specifically analyzing the effects of nonstandard work arrangements and downsizing on job satisfaction. Data are from the 2005 Taiwan Social Change Survey, First Wave of the Fifth Phase: Work and Life Module. Our two main findings are (a) degree of use of nonstandard workers exerts a range of negative impacts on job satisfaction among regular workers, and (b) degree of downsizing exerts similar negative effects. We also discuss the moderating impacts of using nonstandard workers as part of a downsizing strategy.
The present study attempts to assess the empirical relevance of Becker's theory of commitment to study organizational commitment among blue collar workers. The relative importance of demographic, background and job factors as possible predictors of organizational commitment are examined. The sample is drawn from packaging, power distribution and manufacturing industries in Canada. Stepwise multiple regression analysis is used to isolate the important predictors of organizational commitment.
The present study extended prior organizational communication research by testing whether job involvement moderates the relationship between perceived com munication quality and job satisfaction. Data were obtained via questionnaire from 93 managerial nurses at a large urban hospital in the northeastern United States. As hypothesized, the quality of information received from immediate supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates was positively related to job satisfaction among highly job-involved nurses, but was unrelated to job satisfaction among low job-involved nurses. Contrary to prediction, the quality of information received from the hospital administration was positively related to job satisfaction for both high and low job-involved nurses. I mplications of these results for future research and application are discussed.
Two models of the factors leading to organizational commitment are compared: the member-based model, which holds that commitment originates in the actions and personal attributes of the organizational member, and the organization-based model, which is based on the premise that commitment reflects a member's reciprocation for the organization's having provided resources that satisfy important needs. Although the latter model received more support from the data, both models explained significant amounts of variance in commitment. Contrary to the preponderance of related research findings, extrinsic aspects of satisfaction were more strongly associated with organizational commitment, than were intrinsic aspects. This finding was attributed to the composition of the respondent sample, a group of blue-collar, unionized employees.
Human Resources (HR) managers become victims of ambiguity when they try to determine best practices. The paper points out that a balance is needed and the risk in not looking for the balance is worse than going for the extremes when making tactical and strategic choices in human resource management. It highlights possible benefits and the main pitfalls to avoid when applying this approach in organizational settings. Exploring a variety of dilemmas, the paper describes what these extreme options are, and how a balance may be achieved. It concludes that no clear guidelines are available, and perhaps there cannot be any. Nevertheless, the HR manager needs to focus efforts in finding a sensible choice, in an environment of multiple options. This is why the role of the HR manager may be depicted as ‘walking on a tightrope’.
Two studies were conducted to demonstrate that both the instruments used to measure commitment-those scales developed by G. Ritzes and H. M. Trice (1969) and by L. G. Hrebiniak and J. A. Alutto-and the side-bet indexes (age and tenure) used in previous tests of the side-bet theory of H. S. Becker are inappropriate for that purpose. In Study 1, 64 undergraduate scenarios in which an employee was described as being high or low in continuance commitment and high or low in affective commitment and responded to several commitment instruments as they felt the employee would respond. As expected, the continuance commitment manipulation accounted for a relatively small portion of the variance in scores on the 2 commitment scales, whereas the affective commitment manipulation accounted for a substantially larger portion. The continuance manipulation did, however, account for a large portion of the variance in scores on an author-developed continuance commitment scale (CCS). In Study 2, 130 university employees completed the same commitment instruments. As predicted, the 2 commitment scales correlated significantly with measures of affective commitment but not with the CCS. Also as predicted, age and tenure correlated with the commitment scales and with the affective commitment measures but not with the CCS. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record
Contradictory research findings make it almost impossible to arrive at generalized conclusions about the side-bet theory despite the amount of attention this theory has received. In an attempt to resolve the argument about the ability of the theory to explain the formation of organizational commitment, this study examines previous findings of relevant correlational data from 50 published studies, using the Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson (1982) metaanalysis procedure. Results show that 11 side-bet variables have estimates of low population correlations with organizational commitment. For most of the side-bet variables, no meaningful or generalizable relationships with organizational commitment were found. The results indicate that there is very little empirical support for the side-bet theory. Three possible conclusions are proposed. Discussion of the implications of each conclusion and how they relate to future investigation of the side-bet theory concludes the paper
Sumario: In this paper, the authors explore the reasons that many of the expected gains from downsizing have not been achieved. Drawing on findings from an ongoing research program on effective strategies for downsizing, they argue that maintaining the trust and empowerment of survivors is essential to minimize costs and realize the expected gains. The research program began in the late 1980s and draws on extensive interviews with top managers who have implemented downsizings, surveys of employees who have both been laid off and survived downsizings, and in-depth case studies of companies that have successfully downsized
The concept and theory of Organizational Commitment (OC) has gained considerable attention in the management and behavioral sciences. Numerous studies have explored the associations between OC and various phenomena, with impressive results. This paper argue that the concept needs re-examination in light of recent business changes. The assertion that OC leads to a set of desired outputs proved to be valid for times of mutual commitment between organizations and their employees. We are now entering a new era of Human Resource and industrial relation systems, characterised by frequent redundancies and downsizing processes. This trend reflects a low commitment from organizations to their employees which is followed by a reduced level of OC. Subsequently it is hypothesised that the strength of OC as a leading concept in management and behavioral sciences is continuously decreasing. Support from the literature is provided, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Despite the improving economy, consolidation and staff reductions characterize the human resource staffing policies of many firms. Furthermore, economic and demographic pressures indicate that involuntary job loss will be an increasingly common experience for managers and professionals in the coming decade. Based on a synthesis of empirical studies, this paper proposes a model showing factors which may generate career growth from job loss. Organizational strategies are recommended for creative management of this career transition and suggestions are provided to focus future research.
This is a report of a study designed to empirically test a theory of commitment developed by Howard Becker.¹ Becker contends that commitment occurs through a process of placing side-bets. When an individual has made a side-bet, he has "staked something of value to him, something originally unrelated to his present line of activity."² In general, Becker contends that the greater the number of side-bets, the greater the commitment of the individual. Two types of commitment were examined in this study: commitment to the organization and commitment to the occupation. Specifically, this study focused on personne1 managers. The amount of commitment of personnel managers was ascertained by a series of questions which attempted to determine for what reasons, if any, a person would leave his organization and his occupation.
The present study examined the moderating influences of locus of control and job involvement on the relationships between role conflict, role ambiguity, and three individual outcomes: job satisfaction, job-related anxiety, and propensity to leave the organization. Ill supermarket department managers responded to a mailed questionnaire containing moderator, role perception, and outcome measures. Moderated multiple regression analyses failed to provide evidence of any significant ( p < .05) moderating effects; however, job involvement by itself did add significantly to the prediction of propensity to leave. It was suggested that future research allow for nonlinear moderating influences.
The productivity and morale of employees who survive layoffs are likely to have a major impact on the future performance of the corporation. The most important factors that affect survivors' reactions are: the fairness of the layoff and how it was handled; and changes within the organization that often accompany layoffs, such as job insecurity, career prospects, quantity and quality of new job responsibilities, and information about the reactions of one's fellow survivors. This article offers a series of steps that managers can take before, during, and after the layoffs to maximize the productivity and morale of survivors.
A study of organizational commitment of professional accountants who have the chartered accountancy designation, in various occupational settings in Canada, with reference to two alternative theories of organizational commitment.
In this study of 318 school teachers and 395 hospital employed nurses, commitment to profession or organization is operationalized as the willingness to leave each system
when offered slight increases in pay, status, job freedom, and friendliness of co-workers. Contrary to previous research by
Ritzer and Trice, study results lend support to the concept of “side-bets” as a structural phenomenon important in understanding
individuals' commitments to organization or occupation.
This article deals with the question of how to manage the processes concerned with motivating people, and keeping their commitment to organizations when job security is no longer a valid concept. New buzzwords have appeared in the jargon of HR management, such as employability, resilience, post-corporate careers, and psychological contracts. Old paradigms and concepts are no longer applicable in the contemporary business world, which is characterized by constant change. One of the great challenges is to manage the change processes involved during organizational downsizing, and to ensure the continuing commitment and efficiency of those "survivors" who do not experience redundancy. This article draws on previous research by the authors and an extensive literature review to examine critically the nature of the new employment relationships to suggest an analytical framework for the implementation of change.
This article explores the impact of impending layoffs on emotions, both theoretically and empirically, using a simulated mergers and acquisitions scenario in which 119 people participated Root causes of layoff stress, emotional outcomes, and coping mechanisms, both useful and dysfunctional, are examined A major focus of this research is on how the group context of a layoff or merger situation affects emotion and behavior The research shows that anxiety is stimulated by the mere announcement that people in an organization are leaving and that the impact of this anxiety is expressed differently depending on the proportion of people staying in and leaving the organization. This article looks at the basic dynamic of separation anxiety-what it is and why it is stimulated It explores how separation anxiety is manifested in several simple contexts. Psychodynamic concepts, such as denial splitting, and projection, are introduced to help uncover some of the simpler dynamics surrounding separation anxiety as experienced in a group. Next, the article reports an experiment of a simulation in which work groups were formed and then people were chosen to leave their organizations. The experiment varied the number of people who stayed in or left their work groups. Anxiety and attitudes were measured over time, allowing the use of a repeated measures statistical analysis. Based on the theory presented and the research findings, ideas for managing separation anxiety are offered
Social stress can be understood by incorporating interruption theory as developed in research on stress into a model of identity processes drawn from identity theory. From this perspective, social stress results from interruption of the feedback loop that maintains identity processes. I discuss four mechanisms of interruption of identity processes: broken identity loops, interference between identity systems, over-controlled identity systems, and the invocation of episodic identities. Each of these four mechanisms is associated with conditions known to produce feelings of distress. Finally, I discuss how personal evaluation relates to identity processes and distress, and how distress, can lead to changes in identity.
Much research has been directed towards women in management over the past 20 years. Results show that, despite progress being made towards gender equality as to career opportunities, there are still real differences between the sexes in career development and entry to top management levels. Contemporary thinking (Evetts, 1993) suggests that gender-related research should focus on the development of women’s career prospects in terms of promotion once organizational or professional entry has been established. In line with this, the study reported in this paper (n = 846) was designed to examine and evaluate the potential and actual gender differences in the perception of appraisal systems and career development. Using a closed questionnaire measuring relevant demographic variables and ensuring control of others (educational background, salary, age, tenure, gender, hierarchy level) a number of motivational and attitudinal variables (needs for achievement, control, organizational, job and career satisfaction, organizational commitment) were identified as being relevant to self, peer and manager appraisal processes. Results suggested that gender differences in the reported evaluation of such systems may be detected. Gender variances were found in the cognitive bases of employee work-oriented attitudes and these were reflected through measures of perceptions of the utility and relevance of formal organizational appraisal systems. Overall, the results indicated that females and males use different information bases when evaluating performance appraisal systems.
Discusses the history of the Atari Corporation, which experienced incredible financial growth between 1976 and 1981 through its sales of the VCS 2600 (a programmable home video player) and videogames for that machine, to illustrate 8 aspects of managing human resources during decline. 1982 was a pivotal year for Atari: Many aggressive firms had entered the videogame business, consumer preferences were shifting away from videogames, and the home computer business was becoming a cutthroat price war. As a result, sales dropped, Atari lost millions of dollars, employees were laid off, and a new executive officer was unable to stem Atari's collapse. Atari was sold to Warner Communications in 1984. It is suggested that Atari's decline may have been due to management's rigidity—continuing to market products that were no longer successful and not developing new ones—and failure to adapt to the changing environment. Eight strategies for managing decline that are illustrated by the Atari story are discussed: (1) Be even-handed in implementing layoff policies; (2) allow employees to leave with dignity; (3) help displaced employees find new jobs; (4) avoid belittling laid-off employees; (5) be cautious when hiring outside executives; (6) keep employees informed; (7) set realistic expectations; and (8) use ceremonies to reduce anger and frustration. By examining failure rather than success in industry, innovation rather than imitation is encouraged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In this paper I develop and discuss the concept of "identity-relevant stressors." Identities refer to individuals' conceptions of themselves in terms of the social roles that they enact (e.g., spouse, parent, worker, churchgoer, friend). An identity-relevant experience is one that threatens or, alternatively, enhances an identity that the individual values highly; identity-irrelevant experiences occur in roles that the individual does not value highly. This concept can help solve a problem in the stress literature, namely the inability of stress theory to account parsimoniously for social status differences in psychological distress. I propose that 1) individuals' identity structures (their hierarchical identity rankings) should vary systematically by social status; 2) because of differential resources, lower-status individuals should be exposed to proportionately more identity-threatening stressors and higher-status individuals to more identity-enhancing experience, and 3) variation in exposure to identity-relevant experiences should explain status differences in psychological distress more fully than conventional measures of life events and chronic strains. To illustrate the potential utility of this theoretical approach. I discuss gender and marital status differences in psychological distress as cases in point.
The concept of commitment is widely used but has received little formal analysis. It contains an implicit explanation of one mechanism producing consistent human behavior. Commitments come into being when a person, by making a side bet, links extraneous interests with a consistent line of activity. Side bets are often a consequence of the person's participation in social organizations. To understand commitments fully, an analysis of the system of value within which side bets are made is necessary
Helping survivors to stay on board
- N Doherty
- J Horsted
Doherty, N. and Horsted, J. (1995),``Helping survivors to stay on board'', People Management,
Vol. 12, January, pp. 26-9.
- S H Vanhuss
VanHuss, S.H. (1995),``Workforce 2000'', Business & Economic Review, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 21-3.