Organisational restructuring and workforce adjustment practices

Event Date: 26 July 2017

Speaker: Dr Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers, Mount Allison University, Canada

Location: Strathclyde Business School, Cathedral Wing, Room 5.07a

Time: 4-5pm

Abstract: This seminar will present a selection of findings and the conceptual framework developed for interrogating how individuals navigate the job transition process during involuntary job loss in the context of public sector restructuring in Scotland and Ontario, Canada. The research conceptualises the job transition as a holistic process, from the earliest stages of pre-displacement to re-employment or labour market exit, allowing for a more dynamic conceptualisation of the actors, processes and structures that influence not only employment outcomes but crucially, the nature of post-transition employment. The research argues that downsizing and redeployment policies appear to view any job as a better outcome than job loss. Where organisational policies maintain employment, the emphasis is on maintaining extrinsic features of work, and good quality work beyond remunerative aspects is a bi-product rather than a central consideration. This presentation will consider areas of organisational practices that might improve outcomes for individuals and the downsizing organisations. This research was awarded the 2016 Emerald Publishing/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in Human Resource Management.

Published: 18 July 2017