Employment organization and innovation-Flexibility and security in 'virtualized' companies

The discussion of a new 'regime' of innovation on the one hand and the observation of an increasing amount of flexible employment on the other hand leads to the question: 'Is the "flexible employment-organization" the answer to the new demands for a "flexible innovation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Technology analysis & strategic management 2005-03, Vol.17 (1), p.35-53
Main Author: Kratzer, Nick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business management
Business studies
Electronic commerce
Employment
Flexibility
Flexible hours
Flexible hours of work
Innovation diffusion
Innovations
Knowledge management
Labour market flexibility
Organization
Organizational behavior
Organizational structure
Studies
Technological change
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The discussion of a new 'regime' of innovation on the one hand and the observation of an increasing amount of flexible employment on the other hand leads to the question: 'Is the "flexible employment-organization" the answer to the new demands for a "flexible innovation regime"?' Based on empirical findings in three case studies of 'virtualized' companies, the article shows that there is indeed a mutual connection. However, the 'solution' creates new problems. The 'virtualized' companies have to find new solutions to balance the demands of flexibility and stability and the employees need a new balance of security and flexibility. The article shows that there is no totally virtualized institutional setting but there are new institutional mixes of organization and market and of 'formal' and 'informal' ways to balance security/stability and flexibility.
ISSN:0953-7325
1465-3990
DOI:10.1080/09537320500044487