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Organizational Change in French Manufacturing: What Do We Learn From Firm Representatives and From Their Employees?

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  • Nathalie Greenan
  • Jacques Mairesse
Abstract
In this paper, we use a French matched employer-employee survey, the COI survey, conducted in 1997, to describe the general features of organizational change in manufacturing firms with more than 50 employees. In a first section, we explore the methodological issues associated with the building up of a statistical measure of organizational change, we describe the COI survey and we present the set of firm level and employee level variables that we have selected to investigate organizational change. In a second section, we present the results of two correspondence analysis, one conducted on a sample of 1462 firms from the COI survey and the other one conducted on the sample of 2049 blue collar workers affiliated to those firms. On one hand, using the firm level section of the survey, we show that all types of new organizational practices are positively correlated with one another. On the other hand, at the blue collar level, three main dimensions discriminate between jobs: the intensity of involvement in information processing and decision, the intensity of constraints weighing on the content and rhythm of work and the orientation of information and production flows: either pushed by colleagues or pulled by the market. We also find that blue collars cannot develop a high level of involvement in information processing and decisions and have at the same time their work rhythm fixed by heavy technical constraints whereas high time pressure imposed on work rhythm by the market is positively correlated with such an involvement. Finally, if we correlate firm level and worker level variables, we find that an increase in the use of 'employee involvement' and 'quality' practices by the firm is positively correlated both with a higher level of blue collars' involvement in information processing and decision and with a higher level of technical constraints, production flows being pushed by colleagues rather than pulled by the market. The mapping of firm level responses stemming from our first correspondence analysis has been used to select 4 firms in different areas of the statistical universe and belonging to the with executives from these firms and plant visit are used to check the quality of our statistical data and to better understand our descriptive results.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathalie Greenan & Jacques Mairesse, 1999. "Organizational Change in French Manufacturing: What Do We Learn From Firm Representatives and From Their Employees?," NBER Working Papers 7285, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7285
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Charlot, Sylvie & Duranton, Gilles, 2004. "Communication externalities in cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 581-613, November.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Philippe Aghion & Claire Lelarge & John Van Reenen & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2007. "Technology, Information, and the Decentralization of the Firm," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(4), pages 1759-1799.
    3. Piva, Mariacristina & Santarelli, Enrico & Vivarelli, Marco, 2005. "The skill bias effect of technological and organisational change: Evidence and policy implications," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 141-157, March.
    4. Nathalie Greenan & Pierre-Jean Messe, 2018. "Transmission of vocational skills in the second part of careers: the effect of ICT and management changes," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 52(1), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Danielle GALLIANO (LEREPS-GRES & INRA-ETIC ) & Pascale ROUX (ADIS, Université Paris Sud ), 2005. "The evolution of the spatial digital divide: From internet adoption to internet use by french industrial firms," Cahiers du GRES (2002-2009) 2005-25, Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales.
    6. Crifo, Patricia, 2003. "La modélisation du changement organisationnel : déterminants et conséquences sur le marché du travail," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 79(3), pages 349-365, Septembre.
    7. Annalisa Cristini & Tor Eriksson & Dario Pozzoli, 2013. "High-Performance Management Practices and Employee Outcomes in Denmark," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 60(3), pages 232-266, July.
    8. Sylvie Charlot & Gilles Duranton, 2006. "Cities and Workplace Communication: Some Quantitative French Evidence," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 1365-1394, July.
    9. Nathalie Greenan & Jacques Mairesse, 2006. "Les changements organisationnels, l'informatisation des entreprises et le travail des salariés. Un exercice de mesure à partir de données couplées entreprises/salariés," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 57(6), pages 1137-1175.
    10. Frank Pisch, 2020. "Managing global production: theory and evidence from just-in-time supply chains," CEP Discussion Papers dp1689, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Marc-Arthur Diaye & Nathalie Greenan & Sanja Pekovic, 2014. "Sharing the " fame " of ISO standard adoption : quality supply chain effects evidence [Partager la « réputation » de la certification qualité : l’identification d’un effet de chaîne d’app," Post-Print halshs-01362467, HAL.
    12. Marie Claire Villeval, 2005. "Nouvelles conditions de travail : satisfaction ou résignation ?," Post-Print halshs-00157177, HAL.
    13. Danielle Galliano & Pascale Roux, 2008. "Organisational motives and spatial effects in Internet adoption and intensity of use: evidence from French industrial firms," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(2), pages 425-448, June.
    14. Agnès Festré & Luca Giustiniano, 2011. "Relational capital and appropriate incentives," Post-Print halshs-00721526, HAL.
    15. Filippo Pusterla, 2020. "The Complementary Effect of Organizational Practices and Workers’ Level of Education," KOF Working papers 20-478, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    16. Patrizio Bianchi & Sandrine Labory, 2011. "Industrial Policy after the Crisis," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14127.
    17. Kathryn Shaw, 2004. "The Human Resources Revolution: Is It a Productivity Driver?," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 4, pages 69-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Cristini, Annalisa & Pozzoli, Dario, 2008. "New Workplace Practices and Firm Performance: A Comparative Study of Italy and Britain," Working Papers 08-9, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.
    19. Janod, Veronique & Saint-Martin, Anne, 2004. "Measuring the impact of work reorganization on firm performance: evidence from French manufacturing, 1995-1999," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(6), pages 785-798, December.
    20. Michel Gollac & Nathalie Greenan & Sylvie Hamon-Cholet, 2000. "L'informatisation de l'« ancienne » économie : nouvelles machines, nouvelles organisations et nouveaux travailleurs," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 339(1), pages 171-201.
    21. Paolo Ghinetti, 2007. "Technology Innovations, Organisational Changes and Firms’ Wages in Italy," Working Papers 111, SEMEQ Department - Faculty of Economics - University of Eastern Piedmont.
    22. Mariacristina Piva & Enrico Santarelli & Marco Vivarelli, 2004. "Technological and Organizational Changes as Determinants of the Skill Bias: Evidence from a Panel of Italian Firms," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-03, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    23. Annalisa Cristini & Dario Pozzoli, 2010. "Workplace practices and firm performance in manufacturing," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(7), pages 818-842, October.

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