Cornell University Press cornell@onixsuite.com 20130522 eng

COM.ONIXSUITE.9780801477997 03 01 Cornell University Press 01 GCOI 80140100916220 02 0801477999 03 9780801477997 15 9780801477997 59 BC 1 A01 Doellgast, Virginia Virginia Doellgast <p>Virginia Doellgast is Lecturer in Comparative Employment Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.</p> 01 eng 272 00 272 03 21 11 14 18 7 POL013000 KNXB2 10 BUS038000 10 SOC026000 24 Internet Sociology 24 Internet Industrial and Labor Relations 01 01 01 <P>The shift from manufacturing- to service-based economies has often been accompanied by the expansion of low-wage and insecure employment. Many consider the effects of this shift inevitable. In <em>Disintegrating Democracy at Work</em>, Virginia Doellgast contends that high pay and good working conditions are possible even for marginal service jobs. This outcome, however, depends on strong unions and encompassing collective bargaining institutions, which are necessary to give workers a voice in the decisions that affect the design of their jobs and the distribution of productivity gains.</p><P>Doellgast's conclusions are based on a comparative study of the changes that occurred in the organization of call center jobs in the United States and Germany following the liberalization of telecommunications markets. Based on survey data and interviews with workers, managers, and union representatives, she found that German managers more often took the "high road" than those in the United States, investing in skills and giving employees more control over their work. Doellgast traces the difference to stronger institutional supports for workplace democracy in Germany. However, these democratic structures were increasingly precarious, as managers in both countries used outsourcing strategies to move jobs to workplaces with lower pay and weaker or no union representation. Doellgast's comparative findings show the importance of policy choices in closing off these escape routes, promoting broad access to good jobs in expanding service industries.<br /></P> 02 Virginia Doellgast contends that high pay and good working conditions are possible even for marginal service jobs. This outcome, however, depends on strong unions and encompassing collective bargaining institutions. 04 <p>1. Introduction<br />2. Changes in Markets and Collective Bargaining<br />3. Using Power in the Workplace<br />4. Losing Power in the Networked Firm<br />5. Broadening the Comparison<br />6. Conclusions</p><p><strong>Appendix A: </strong>Interviews conducted in the United States and Germany<br /><strong>Appendix B: </strong>Organizational characteristics and employment practices by country, in-house and outsourced centers<br /><strong>Appendix C: </strong>Organizational characteristics and employment practices by collective bargaining arrangements, United States and Germany</p><p><em>Notes<br />Bibliography<br />Index</em></p> 08 <p>"Through a compelling comparative analysis of work reorganization in U.S. and German call centers following the liberalization of telecommunications markets, Doellgast shows that workplace democracy and encompassing collective bargaining institutions are central factors shaping job quality in service settings where managers encounter strong incentives to cut labor costs. . . . <em>Disintegrating Democracy at Work</em> is a mandatory read for anyone interested in understanding the relationship between national institutions, management strategies, and worker outcomes in the expanding service sector."—Tashlin Lakhani, <em>ILR Review</em> (October 2012)</p> 08 <p>"There is something for everyone to take away from this book: academics, managers, union leaders, and policy makers alike. Doellgast also leaves the reader with some hope. Convergence on poor working conditions and low pay is not the inevitable outcome for noncore service workers. Differences in national industrial relations institutions and strategies adopted by worker representatives to pursue dignity in the workplace can reduce economic inequality and fundamentally alter management strategic choice in adoption of high- versus low-road employment models."— Dionne Pohler, <em>Work and Occupations</em> (February 2013)</p> 08 <p>"In vivid descriptions of the call centers she spent time in, and eye-opening interviews, Doellgast shows us the wide range of experiences call workers have. . . . She uses call centers to illustrate all that is wrong with advanced economies, as well as how things can be made right. . . . The object lesson is clear: high-skill, high-participation, high-wage workers are not just happier campers, they are better for business."—Frank Dobbin, <em>Administrative Science Quarterly</em> (March 2013)</p> 08 <p>"This study is exemplary in its impressive attention to details regarding working conditions and industrial relations machinery, and in its combination of enterprise and regulatory histories with present-day quantitative and qualitative results. Furthermore, the book excels by attractive writing and presentation: the reader is put in the picture right from the start by an excellent summary chapter that explains general results at length and in the comparative context of the two countries. This overview leads on to the more detailed chapters in such an appealing way that the reader at all times understands the specific results as part of the wider picture."—Arndt Sorge, <em>British Journal of Industrial Relations</em> (March 2013)</p> 08 <p>"In <em>Disintegrating Democracy at Work</em>, Virginia Doellgast compares the changes in the organization of frontline call center jobs in the United States and Germany. Doellgast conducted nearly three hundred interviews with key informants in both countries and compared the qualitative findings with the quantitative results of an international survey. This is an innovative book; there are not many internationally comparative studies on wages and work organization with such a broad empirical base and such a profound knowledge of institutions and the organization of an industry."—Gerhard Bosch, Universität Duisburg Essen</p> 08 <p>"This unique and original book makes a major contribution to comparative industrial relations. It is a solid empirical analysis based in the growing service sector and examines a globally growing occupation, the call center customer service representative. Virginia Doellgast argues that both participation rights and union bargaining power are important supports for the adoption of high involvement employment systems."—Jeffrey H. Keefe, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey</p> 04 03 72 01 http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/resources/titles/80140100916220/images/80140100916220L.jpg 07 03 72 01 http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/resources/titles/80140100916220/images/80140100916220S.jpg http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100916220 ILR Press 01 02 2021862 Cornell University Press Ithaca US 04 20120106 01 9 in 02 6 in 08 13 oz 07 2021862 CUP Services http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu 02 CA MX US BV AL AD AM AU AT AZ BY BA BG HR CY CZ DK EE FO FI GE DE GI GR HM HU IS IE MK IT PS KZ LV LI LT LU UM MT MC ME NL NZ NO PG PL PT RO RU SM AX SK SI ES SJ SE CH TR UA GB VA 02 Y 21 22 01 02 s 24.95 USD 06 5013546051314 NBN International http://www.nbninternational.com 02 BV AL AD AM AT AZ BY BE BA BG HR CY CZ DK EE FO FI FR GE DE GI GR HM HU IS IE MK IT PS KZ LV LI LT UM MT MD MC ME NL NO PL PT RO RU SM AX SK SI ES SJ SE CH TR UA GB VA AU CA JP MX US NZ PG 02 Y 20 20120106 22 01 02 s 02 15.50 GBP