Employed Under Different Rules: The Complexities of Working Across Organizational Boundaries

Posted: 17 Nov 2009

See all articles by Mick Marchington

Mick Marchington

University of Manchester - Manchester Business School

Jill Rubery

University of Manchester - Manchester Business School

Damian P. Grimshaw

University of Manchester - European Work and Employment Research Centre (EWERC)

Marilyn Carroll

Manchester School of Management - UMIST

Sarah Pass

University of Nottingham

Date Written: November 2009

Abstract

A major element of the transforming work debate is the spread of complex organizational forms. Hierarchical and strictly bounded employing organizations are said to be being replaced by fluid networks of organizations, working in partnership to achieve shared goals. Case studies of four co-production networks cast doubts on the extent to which employment hierarchies have lost salience. Inter-organizational relations are found to result not in the absence of hierarchies but in their overlapping, intertwining and fragmentation. These interactions raise problems of consistency and fairness within the employment relationship, particularly related to distributive justice, procedural justice and career development.

Keywords: hierarchy, networks, employment relationship, inter-organizational relations, careers, HRM consistency, D23, J30, M54, M55

Suggested Citation

Marchington, Mick and Rubery, Jill and Grimshaw, Damian P. and Carroll, Marilyn and Pass, Sarah, Employed Under Different Rules: The Complexities of Working Across Organizational Boundaries (November 2009). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp. 413-427, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1505184 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsp017

Mick Marchington

University of Manchester - Manchester Business School ( email )

P.O. Box 88
Manchester, M15 6PB
United Kingdom

Jill Rubery

University of Manchester - Manchester Business School ( email )

Booth Street West
Manchester, M15 6PB
United Kingdom

Damian P. Grimshaw

University of Manchester - European Work and Employment Research Centre (EWERC) ( email )

Oxford Road
Manchester M60 1QD, N/A M13 9PL
United Kingdom

Marilyn Carroll

Manchester School of Management - UMIST ( email )

Management Research Centre (MRC)
Salford M5 4WT
United Kingdom

Sarah Pass

University of Nottingham ( email )

University Park
Nottingham, NG8 1BB
United Kingdom

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