scholarly journals Front-line service managers’ misbehaviour and disengagement: the elephant in the store?

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1015-1032
Author(s):  
Anastasios Hadjisolomou
Keyword(s):  
Senior Management ◽  
Employment Relationship ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Managerial Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Labour Process ◽  
Line Management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to revisit discussions on managerial work, seeking to re-examine the front-line service manager’s position within the service triangle, and bring forward questions of agency that remain under-developed by scholars. Challenging the assumed unitarist and “consensus” standing point in organizations it recognizes that front-line managers, similarly to their subordinates, resist corporate demands and unveils stories of “battles” and disengagement towards their role, providing a rich empirical agenda regarding managerial misbehaviour. In order to explore front-line managers’ agency issues, the paper adopts the framework of the dimensions of misbehaviour, as developed by Ackroyd and Thompson (1999), to capture and to better describe and understand the recalcitrant agential practices by front-line managers. Design/methodology/approach The paper calls on qualitative data from two case study organizations in the Cyprus food-retail sector. In total, 46 interviews took place with participants across different departments and different management levels. This aimed for a better and deeper understanding of the research problem through understanding of the different perspectives. Findings The evidence reveals the intensification of FLSMs’ work and their feelings of pressure. FLSMs, however, did not stay apathetic and have utilized tactics to oppose the increasing workload and the expansion of their role. The paper classifies these tactics using the four dimensions of misbehaviour (Ackroyd and Thompson, 1999), namely, appropriation of time; work, product and identity. It shows that FLSMs not only resist corporate demands, like their subordinates, but also devised practices which are similar to workers. The data also reveal a variety in actions of misbehaviour between FLSMs depending on the level of customer interaction and their mobility on the shop floor. Research limitations/implications Students of managerial work overlooked the political realities of management and the contested nature of (front-line service) management work. As this study has shown FLSMs across the shop floor strongly identify more with “front-line employees” than senior management, protecting their own interests within the employment relationship via oppositional actions and disengagement. FLSM is, of course, in an agency relationship with capital; however, this neglects the heterogeneity in interests at different levels of management. This paper shifts the focus of management research away from the traditional agency argument and discusses FLSMs as “misbehaving agents”. It challenges the assumed unitarist and “consensus” standing point for FLSMs in organizations and calls HRM scholars to embrace a pluralist analysis in line management research. Practical implications This research shows that FLSMs misbehave as an expression of discontent towards the expansion and intensification of their role. Yet, the data reveal variation in the organization of FLSMs’ work across the shop floor and consequently variation in their actions of misbehaviour. This suggests that it is erroneous to presume a similar labour process for these managers and/or over-generalize their battling actions. HR practitioners will need to re-examine the roles of FLSMs in organizations, recognize the variety of interests within management, step away from rhetoric discourses of unproblematic devolvement of HR and managerial tasks to the front-line and appropriately review, redesign and re-organize front-line managerial work. Social implications Although research has fruitfully located the powerlessness of front-line managers as a central theme in their analysis, the complexity of the front-line management position within the social relations of interactive service work and their “logic of action” within their labour process remains a relatively marginal theme in research. Indeed, FLSMs’ position within the triangle, where managerial work is subject to degradation and trilateral conflicting dynamics and their battles within their own labour process, still remains under-explored. This study addresses this research lacuna focusing on the FLSMs’ experiences on the front-end and their actions of misbehaviour within their labour process. Originality/value The paper brings forward questions of agency that remain under-developed by scholars and unveils “stories of battles”. It discusses FLSMs as “misbehaving agents” a question that is only superficially addressed in resistance and managerial studies. This paper challenges the embedded HRM unitarist assumption that FLSMs are conscientiously agents of the capital and reveals evidence suggesting the plurality of interests across management. HRM scholars, especially those discussed line managers as HRM partners, have overestimated FLSMs’ identification with senior management and the strategic goals of the organization. As this study has shown FLSMs across the shop floor strongly identify with “front-line employees”, protecting their own interests within the employment relationship via oppositional actions and disengagement.

Juggling on the line

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Evans
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
High Level

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between the role of front line managers (FLMs) and their contribution to the reported gap between intended and actual human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – The findings draw on case study research using 51 semi-structured interviews with managers across two UK retail organisations between 2012 and 2013. Findings – This paper argues that FLMs are key agents in people management and play a critical role in the gap between intended and actual employee relations (ER) and HRM. The research found that these managers held a high level of responsibility for people management, but experienced a lack of institutional support, monitoring or incentives to implement according to central policy. This provided an opportunity for them to modify or resist intended policy and the tensions inherent in their role were a critical factor in this manipulation of their people management responsibilities. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from only one industry and two organisations so the conclusions need to be considered within these limitations. Practical implications – Efforts to address the gap between intended and actual ER/HRM within organisations will need to consider the role tensions of both front line and middle managers. Originality/value – This research provides a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between FLMs and the gap between intended and actual HRM within organisations. It addresses the issue of FLMs receiving less attention in the HRM-line management literature and the call to research their role in the translation of policy into practice.

Line management involvement in performance appraisal work

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 818-844
Author(s):  
Daniel Tyskbo
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Adaptations ◽  
Hr Practices ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Line Management ◽  
Management Involvement

PurposeTwo research questions are asked in this paper: RQ1. How does line management involvement in PA work unfold in practice? RQ2. How does line management involvement contribute toward any divergence arising between intended and implemented PA work?Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth case study from a multi-actor perspective based on interviews with HR managers, line managers and employees, and organizational documents.FindingsThe findings illustrate how line managers faced three types of complexities during implementation, i.e. dilemmas, understandings, and local adaptations. These jointly contributed to a divergence arising between the PA as intended and the PA as implemented. This divergence became associated with how line management involvement was restricted to the local context and the initial stages of the PA process, highlighting how HR practices can contain both devolved and non-devolved elements.Originality/valueWe respond to calls for more in-depth qualitative studies of how line managers are involved in HR work; this is done specifically by conceptualizing the complexities line managers face in practice when implementing HR practices. As such, we add to the understanding of HR practices as relational and social in nature. We also contribute to the processual understanding of HRM by highlighting how HR practices can contain both devolved and non-devolved elements. By stressing the limitations of binary conceptualizations of HR devolution, we add to the understanding of HR devolution as more complex and multifaceted than traditionally assumed.

Using inquiry-based learning in executive education programmes

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 599-613
Author(s):  
Debananda Misra
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Executive Education ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Managerial Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inquiry Based Learning ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine managers’ considerations for leveraging management research for their work and the implications of such considerations on using inquiry-based learning (IBL) in customised executive education programmes (CEEPs) offered by business schools (b-schools). Design/methodology/approach The study proposes a conceptual framework that is validated using a single case study analysis. For the case study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the top leadership of an organisation. Using the findings of the interviews, a survey was designed and administered to the managers of the organisation to further validate the findings. Findings This study identifies four considerations of the managers for leveraging management research. It analyses how faculty members can use IBL to design CEEPs to meet these considerations and link management research with managerial work. Research limitations/implications The single organisational context in which the study was carried out and the small sample size of the survey can be seen as a limitation of this article to produce generalisable considerations of managers. Practical implications The findings in this study have practical implications on the design and teaching practices of using IBL in CEEPs. Originality/value The main contribution of this study is the conceptual framework for deciding the teaching practices of IBL in CEEPs. Another contribution is its analysis at the level of individual managers, which provides novel insights about the relationship between management research and managerial work.

Conflict and conflict management in hospitals

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 550-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad ◽  
Arezoo Mojbafan
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Hospital Managers ◽  
Conflict Resolution Strategies ◽  
Resolution Strategies

Purpose Hospitals are complex and complicated organizations and are prone to the conflict. The purpose of this paper is to identify the intensity and type of conflict experienced by hospital managers and explore their conflict management strategies in hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from top, middle and front line managers. In total, 563 managers from 14 hospitals responded to the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. Findings Hospital managers reported average level of conflict (2.73 score out of 5). Organizational factors produced more conflict for managers than personal factors. High workload, resource shortage, bureaucracy and differences in managers’ personality, knowledge, capabilities and skills were the main causes of organizational and personal conflict. Top managers experienced more conflict than middle and front line managers. Conflict was higher in specialized hospitals compared to general hospitals. Less conflict was observed in administrative and support departments than diagnostic and therapeutic departments. Conflict was meaningfully associated with management level, education, size of hospital, number of employees and willingness to leave the hospital. The dominant conflict management style of managers was collaborating. There were significant relationships between collaborating style and management level, manager’s age, work experience and management experience. Practical implications The nature of hospitals requires that managers use collaborating, compromising and accommodating styles to interact better with different stakeholders. Managers by acquiring necessary training and using the right conflict resolution strategies should keep the conflict in a constructive level in hospitals. Originality/value This is the first study conducted in Iran examining the level of conflict, its types and identifying managers’ dominant conflict resolution strategies at front line, middle and top management levels.

What a performance! the influence of call centre workflows on workers’ skills and emotional wellbeing

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Alexander Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Labour Process ◽  
Interactive Nature ◽  
Front Line Workers

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to use the concepts of performance and emotional labour to shed new light on the skills workers use on two workflows in one call centre. In addition, the paper demonstrates how different workflows impact on workers everyday emotional experiences and wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach – Using an auto-ethnographic approach to data collection the paper provides insights by focusing on both the self and others as objects of research. The underpinning theoretical inspiration is drawn from Labour Process Theory but considering the interactive nature of front-line call centre work, it adopts Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical concepts and draws on micro-sociological analyses of the labour process, particularly Hochschild (1983). Findings – The case study illustrates how workers use social skills, through the performance of emotional labour, to different extents on contrasting workflows. The concept of performance is also used to demonstrate how management rely on worker's social skills to deliver fast and quality customer service. Contrary to other research, this study finds that the greater time front-line workers spend on calls and the wider scope they have for exercising discretion does not necessarily mean they experience greater levels of satisfaction and emotional wellbeing. Rather, the workflow with the tightest scripting and shortest call cycles – which inhibit the need to perform emotional labour – offered the greatest protection from the emotional demands of the job. Originality/value – This paper is the first to apply Goffman's theatrical metaphors and concepts of performativity to unpack the nature of front-line call centre workers’ skills.

Skill-based pay in practice

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 628-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Léné
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Plan Implementation ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how the employees and managers experienced skill-based pay (SBP) plans through the lens of the organizational justice perspective. The article investigates SBP plans and highlights the difficulties encountered in implementing them. SBP plans take a number of different forms that may diverge from the declared model. Design/methodology/approach – This study investigates the SBP plan implementation in situ. Following Yin’s case study design method, documents were collected, semi-structured interviews were conducted and observations were recorded in two different companies in France. Findings – The organizational justice concepts allow the authors to shed light on the mechanisms through which SBP implementation may lead to negative outcomes. First, the authors argue that injustice perceptions are a critical element in the SBP implementation. Second, they argue that the way SBP plans are implemented by front-line managers influence employee attitudes and behaviours. When employees consider that the decisions are established on the basis of criteria that lack legitimacy, they adopt withdrawal behaviour. Research limitations/implications – The majority of studies on SBP are largely atheoretical in nature. It is suggested that the organizational justice framework should be utilized to improve the authors’ understanding of what shapes the reaction of workers towards such plans. The authors consider that justice and trust are a particularly useful duo of lenses through which to examine the motivation of workers to be engaged in such plans. Practical implications – The implications for the practice of management surround the issue of unanticipated results of actions. It is not simply a question of designing the most appropriate SBP plans. The key issue is how they are actually implemented by front-line managers. Specifically, the findings highlight the pivotal role front-line managers play in building trust towards employees. Training in procedural justice should accompany SBP implementation. Originality/value – This paper highlights the complexity of implementation of SBP. By examining SBP implementation through the lenses of the organizational justice concepts, it sheds light on the under-theorized reactions to SBP implementation, and advances understanding of the mechanisms through which it affects employee attitudes and behaviours.

The multiple faces of front line managers

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Kilroy ◽  
Tony Dundon
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Employee Outcomes ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Leader ◽  
Line Manager

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present exploratory research on the potential variation of front line manager (FLM) types and attendant causal links between FLM style and employee outcomes. It challenges the value of a homogenous FLM construct and tests for variation in FLM styles which may affect behaviours and employee outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – A set of discreet FLM types is defined from extant theory and literature (named here as Policy Enactor; Organizational Leader; and Employee Coach). Each type and its relationship to employee outcomes is explored empirically using survey data and qualitative interviews with a small sample of employees (n=46 employees across eight FLM groups) within a multi-national manufacturing plant. Findings – The findings provide preliminary support for an FLM “type” construct. Employees reported a significant dominance of the “Organizational Leader” type for one FLM, while across a broader set of FLM’s the proportions showed measurable variation. The qualitative data provides context examples that help explain FLM typologies and link to employee outcomes. Originality/value – Much of current literature explores the FLM construct as a singular construct, relying on its contextual relevance for definition within a certain discipline. This paper focuses on combining these contextual experiences to present a multi-faceted construct for the role of FLMs within the employment relations literatures. By moving from the implicit to the explicit, the paper offers a conceptual lens for quantitative and qualitative exploration of the role of FLM types. As a result, attendant and subsequent FLM and employee behaviours may be better examined and possibly better specified. To add value to this contribution longitudinal and more extensive data sets could be examined and tested in the future.

scholarly journals Managing attendance at work: the role of line managers in the UK grocery retail sector

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasios Hadjisolomou
Keyword(s):  
Management Policy ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bureaucratic Control ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of line managers in managing attendance at work in the lean regime of grocery retailing. The increasing competitiveness within the sector, coupled with the sophisticated control systems in place put pressure on managers to keep labour costs low. Attendance, therefore, becomes a critical factor, particularly as staffing levels become leaner. Taking this into account, it is necessary to understand the parameters of the line managers’ role in managing attendance, especially within the lean food retail market and the antagonistic terrain of the supermarket shop floor. The paper discusses the impact of lean retailing on line managers’ authority and provides a fresh sociological analysis regarding their role in managing attendance, offering insights into managerial practices on the UK supermarket shop floor. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on qualitative research evidence from two case study grocery retail organizations in the UK. It reports on 44 semi-structured interviews and provides a multi-level analysis aiming to understand the different perspectives on the problem examined. Findings – The paper reveals the existence of a centralized absence management policy and highlights the greater involvement of line managers in this procedure. Line managers though were subjected to forces of bureaucratic control, intensification and degradation of their work. Despite having an active role within the attendance management process and high responsibility for the implementation of rules and procedures handed down by head office, they had limited authority over the process. Line managers perceived the latter as routine and a box-ticking exercise and had developed coping tactics to deal with the control from above. Originality/value – This paper provides practical and theoretical considerations over the role of line management in the labour process, investigating their role in managing attendance at work within the lean terrain of food retailing. This research contributes to the ongoing academic discussions related to the devolvement of HR responsibilities to the line, highlighting the great involvement of line managers in the absence policy. It also provides a sociological perspective over line managers’ authority and discretion in managing attendance, revealing that they were subjected to direct and bureaucratic control within their role in attendance management. However, the research reveals that line managers were not passive in the face of direct control from above and had developed tactics to cope with the monotony and the repetition of this process, attempting to somehow escape the top-down control they were subjected to.

Do actions speak louder than words – study of a shared vision?

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 237-243
Author(s):  
Simon Reese
Keyword(s):  
Shared Vision ◽  
Leadership Team ◽  
Front Line ◽  
First Line ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fundamental Building Block ◽  
New Vision ◽  
Line Manager ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between actions taken by front-line managers and actions taken by employees as the organization progresses toward a new-shared vision. The shared vision to alter the organization's learning structures was communicated by the leadership team. The research evaluates if the actions speak louder than the words. Design/methodology/approach – The actions analyzed in the study are completion of curriculum courses designed by the Learning and Professional Development team to progress the organization toward the new vision. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation was calculated to determine the nature and strength of the relationship or learning actions between the employee and first line managers. Findings – Results indicate that a moderate positive relationship exists between employee and first line manager actions. The relationship highlights the importance of integrating an action element into the launch of a new-shared vision. Originality/value – Shared visions are a fundamental building block in reaching generative learning. One method to improve employee internalization of the shared vision is to create actions whereby the employee can experience elements of the vision. These experiences further the communications and build steps toward employee commitment and internalization.

Social workers as state and citizen-agents. How social workers in a German, Dutch and Flemish public welfare organisation manage this dual responsibility in practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110097
Author(s):  
Michelle van der Tier ◽  
Koen Hermans ◽  
Marianne Potting
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
National Study ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Line Manager ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
The Relationship

Summary Professional standards state that social workers in public welfare organisations should act as state and citizen-agents. However, the literature provides little insight into how social workers navigate this dual responsibility in their daily work. To address this gap, we used Maynard-Moody and Musheno’s theory on state and citizens-agent narratives to analyse street-level practices of social workers in three local welfare organisations in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. This article explores how three specific organisational mechanisms (decision-making authority; the role of the front-line manager and the degree of specialisation) affect the ways social workers navigate both agent narratives in public welfare organisations. The data were gathered by a mixed method design of in-depth interviews and focus groups. Findings Our study shows that social workers struggle with the tensions that intrude between the state and citizen-agent narrative. We found that the extent to which both narratives are adopted by social workers is affected by a complicated interaction between the beliefs of social workers about social justice and responsiveness and the selected organisational mechanisms. Moreover, we found that critical reflection and a supportive attitude of front-line managers can help social workers to manage their double responsibility in practice. Application Our cross-national study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between organisational mechanisms and the moral deliberations of social workers regarding their dual responsibility. It provides in-depth insights into the tensions and conflicts social workers in different contexts face daily on account of their dual responsibility.

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