
Gainsharing and Power
Lessons from Six Scanlon Plans
Denis Collins(Author)
Cornell University Press
Published on 10. March 1998
Book
Hardback
296 pages
978-0-8014-3490-7 (ISBN)
Description
Denis Collins believes that participatory management systems are inevitable in democratic societies because they are ethically superior to authoritarian management systems. Managers must begin to share decision making and economic outcomes with their employees if they want to obtain long-term efficiency and effectiveness in a competitive business environment. Changes in power relationships are bound to occur in the transitional period, Collins reports, and will challenge the flexibility of management.
Scanlon Plans were developed in the 1930s as a way to link improvements in productivity to employee wages. Popular because of the large amount of employee involvement in their design, Scanlon Plans are in place at 260 Fortune 1000 companies, as well as many smaller firms. To understand the considerable variation in the success of gainsharing plans and participatory management more generally, Collins studied six companies that used Scanlon Programs, explaining the nuts and bolts of each plan. He addresses the concerns of workers, managers, and unions when they were present, highlighting political games employees must address to enhance success. Collins then offers a new theory of gainsharing based on conflicts of interest at work.
Scanlon Plans were developed in the 1930s as a way to link improvements in productivity to employee wages. Popular because of the large amount of employee involvement in their design, Scanlon Plans are in place at 260 Fortune 1000 companies, as well as many smaller firms. To understand the considerable variation in the success of gainsharing plans and participatory management more generally, Collins studied six companies that used Scanlon Programs, explaining the nuts and bolts of each plan. He addresses the concerns of workers, managers, and unions when they were present, highlighting political games employees must address to enhance success. Collins then offers a new theory of gainsharing based on conflicts of interest at work.
Reviews / Votes
"Gainsharing and Power encourages a consideration of some of the underlying value dimensions which are sadly missing in our national discourse concerning working life in America. A refreshing book, valuable to both the practitioner and the advanced Human Resources student." -- Steven E. Markham, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University "This is an excellent book. It provides an interesting alternative framework for examining gainsharing and gives comprehensive data on the history, workings, and evaluation of six cases with varying characteristics. Rather than simply reporting on the cases and summarizing them, Collins has raised the discussion to the level of empirical generalization and brought the data to bear on his four hypotheses. His work offers far better data for understanding gainsharing than most other material available in this field." -- Robert N. Stern, coeditor of <I>Debating Rationality: Nonrational Aspects of Organizational Decision Making</I>More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ithaca
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paper over boards
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
907 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8014-3490-7 (9780801434907)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Denis Collins is Professor in the Business Department at Edgewood College. He is the coauthor of Ethical Dilemmas in Business, and coeditor of Sustaining the Natural Environment.