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Identify the different types of experiences of European Works Council (EWC) members based on the four fields of interaction of EWCs and evaluate their relative presence.
Abstract
Purpose
Identify the different types of experiences of European Works Council (EWC) members based on the four fields of interaction of EWCs and evaluate their relative presence.
Design/methodology/approach
Latent profile analysis using survey data of over 1600 EWC representatives from more than 300 EWCs.
Findings
Five different types of EWC experience are identified (marginalized, dominated, spearhead, participative and transnational forum). After 22 years of experience with EWCs, only a small minority of EWC representatives consider their EWC to be a participative structure. While trade union support and training increase the value of belonging to a well-functioning EWC type, they are not enough to circumvent structural obstacles. Additionally the analysis shows that domination by some countries in the functioning of an EWC is not always negative as this experience is present in both well- and ill-functioning EWC types.
Research limitations/implications
The article argues that research should focus more on the moments of regression which EWCs face; and take a more nuanced approach to the domination by some countries of how EWCs function.
Social implications
The article adds to the growing body of evidence that argues for structural intervention to improve EWC functioning.
Originality/value
This article uses insights from comparative case study research to cross-validate the findings using quantitative methods.
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Stan De Spiegelaere, Monique Ramioul and Guy Van Gyes
The purpose of this paper is to identify different job types in the Belgian electricity sector and their relations with employee outcomes such as work engagement and innovative…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify different job types in the Belgian electricity sector and their relations with employee outcomes such as work engagement and innovative work behaviour (IWB).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a combination of latent profile analysis and relative operating characteristics (ROC) analysis.
Findings
Depending on the job resources and demands, five different job types are identified corresponding largely to the Karasek and Theorell (1990) job types. Their relation with the outcomes is not parallel with low-strain jobs performing best for work engagement, and active jobs for IWB.
Research limitations/implications
The combination of methods used in this study increases significantly the ease of communication of the findings, yet an external benchmark for the ROC analysis would be preferable.
Practical implications
To foster engagement and IWB with employees one should focus on the job content and only increase demands if they are combined with sufficient resources.
Originality/value
This research is the first in its kind that relates latent job types with different employee outcomes using a combination of latent profile and ROC analysis.
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Lise Meylemans and Stan De Spiegelaere
The purpose of this paper is to study how employee representatives in European Works Councils (EWCs) treat confidential information and how such strategies might improve the EWC…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study how employee representatives in European Works Councils (EWCs) treat confidential information and how such strategies might improve the EWC functioning.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on interviews of several case studies of EWCs, this paper brings together insights from industrial relations and occupational psychology literature.
Findings
The results show that through actively challenging the management, an EWC can reduce the amount of information labelled as confidential and become freer to communicate with their rank and file. Actively challenging management, however, does not seem to impact the openness of the management to give early and complete information.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on several case studies, which limits the generalisability of the findings. The results, however, indicate that research is required on how challenging confidentiality can incite managements to provide earlier information.
Practical implications
The research show clearly the potential but also limitations for employee representatives in actively challenging the management over what information is confidential.
Social implications
This study studies a universally difficult topic for employee representatives: how to handle confidential information. The findings show that EWCs have little levers to force management to provide early information. For this, more structural change is needed.
Originality/value
This study is the first to focus exclusively on the issue of confidentiality in EWCs. This is a central concern for employee representatives, but research, until now, has not given much insight in which strategies work.
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Sabzar Ahmad Peerzadah, Sabiya Mufti and Shayista Majeed
This study aims to look at the current state of academic research on innovative work behavior (IWB) and how far it has progressed by using key performance analysis and science…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to look at the current state of academic research on innovative work behavior (IWB) and how far it has progressed by using key performance analysis and science mapping techniques of bibliometric analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has analyzed 246 publications from Web of Science database on IWB from 1989 to 2021. Data were analyzed using MS Excel and VOSviewer.
Findings
There has been a rise in the number of academic studies on IWB during the past decade. In addition, it was discovered that a significant percentage of papers had multiple authors working together on them and that collaborations between institutes in Asia and the developed world are taking place.
Research limitations/implications
IWB research trends and trajectories may be assessed to enable academics and practitioners better understand the current and future trends and research directions. Future studies in this field might use the findings as a starting point to highlight the nature of the topic.
Originality/value
Bibliometric techniques provide a far more comprehensive and reliable picture of the field. This article has the potential to serve as a one-stop resource for researchers and practitioners seeking information that can aid in transdisciplinary endeavors by leading them to recognized, peer-reviewed papers, journals and networks.
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