ICT en de opkomst van de transitionele arbeidsmarkt

014-43-613

Dr. W. Trommel; Universiteit Twente

De probleemstelling

Een belangrijke aanname in de literatuur over de informatiesamenleving is dat IT als katalysator fungeert achter de opkomst van zogenaamde transitionele arbeidspatronen en beleidsprogramma’s. Daarbij gaat het om arbeidspatronen die de werknemer grotere vrijheden bieden op het gebied van combinaties van werk/zorg/leren, variabele arbeidstijden, verlofschema’s, deeltijdpensionering, etc. Dit onderzoek richt zich op de vraag welke redenen er aan de vraagzijde van de arbeidsmarkt voor een dergelijke ontwikkeling bestaan. In een bedrijfsgerichte studie wordt daarbij in het bijzonder onderzocht welke ICT-gerelateerde mechanismen achter de ontwikkeling van transitionele arbeidsmarktpatronen schuil gaan.

Wetenschappelijk belang

The TLM-concept strongly up till now focuses at the supply side of the labour market. This in contrast to the focus on employers’ interests. It is assumed that a further development of TLMs still depends on preconditions at the demand side of the labour market. Why would IT-applications in organisational and production processes establish a need for transitional labour market patterns? The extensive literature on technology and work is rather silent on TLMs. However, it does discuss the emergence of IT-induced innovations in personnel policies. Those innovations, often indicated as Human Resource Management (HRM), seem to have much in common with TLM-policies. Thus far, empirical studies have revealed a statistical relationship between IT-application and HRM-development. The available knowledge, however, is still limited. First, we do not know what causal mechanisms are involved. For example, the rise of HRM-policies in IT-intensive firms may very well be an effect of labour market shortages in the IT-sector. The ways in which IT interacts with other variables and thereby create different mechanisms of policy change need further empirical exploration. Secondly, it is still unclear what specific aspects of IT are especially relevant to personnel policy change. In this respect, it is time to develop a more precise distinction between different IT-applications. Thirdly, and most importantly, it has remained unclear so far if the introduction of HRM-like policies in firms really reflects new personnel policy demands.

Maatschappelijk belang

Human resources are the key to business success in the knowledge-intensive economy. Therefore, HRM stresses the need for investments in long-term employability, permanent training and trustful labour relations. Furthermore, HRM explicitly promotes an individualisation of the labour contract. This means, first of all, that performance measurement and competence assessments are at the heart of corporate policies. Secondly, it is emphasised that taking care for human resources also means that social policies must be tailored to individual wants, motives and preferences. Especially at this point, the ideas of HRM and TLM show a strong resemblance. Moreover, next to ICT also TLM become increasingly important in governmental and industrial policies.

Methodiek

The links between IT-application and TLM development are explored in three ideal typical cases:

1. Development of new production processes/ radical change of labour content, for instance in highly informated and networked settings such as the telecom sector;
2. Flexibilisation of organisational forms, for instance in the traditional mass-industry (steel or automobile sector)
3. No change in production process, but large investments in IT as a tool for personnel policy, for instance in the personal services (catering, cleaning).

In the research these three in-depth case studies will be conducted. In each case, special attention will be paid to different types of IT-application, the interaction between IT-application and variables like market development, organisational strategy and labour market conditions. Attention will also paid to the interaction of firm-level, sectoral and national policy-making. The study will not provide empirical generalisations on the actual diffusion of IT-induced innovations in labour patterns and policies. Rather, it aims to improve the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms that transform IT-applications into drivers behind social policy change. For each case, the evolution of the firm (production process, organisation, environment, strategy), during the last 5-10 years will be reconstructed. A more detailed analysis will take place of technological innovations, labour patterns and personnel strategies. Data will be collected from interviews, personnel statistics, policy documents, organisational reports, sectoral studies and collective labour agreements.

Uitvoerder

Dr. W. Trommel
Universiteit Twente,
Faculteit Bedrijf, Bestuur en Technologie (BBT)

Resultaten

Van het onderzoek is zowel een samenvattend eindverslag als een uitgebreid onderzoeksverslag beschikbaar.