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Item Teamwork : re-engineering the division of labour for New Zealand's workplace of tomorrow : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. (Social Sciences) in Sociology at Massey University(Massey University, 1997) MacFarlane, Nicola JaneConventional workplace structure in New Zealand is based on a Fordist specialist division of labour that fragments and isolated the workforce, reinforcing the individualistic nature inherent in society. Changes in the economic circumstances (primarily deregulation, internationalism and the Employers Contracts Act) have manifested into extensive organisational, cultural, social and political workplace re-engineering. Understanding the transformation of the division of labour from a Fordist separatist hierarchy to a flexible team-based cooperative system details the orchestration of social labour in the multiplication of industrial organisation. The rationalisation of unskilled mass labour has been replaced with the concept of the flexible multi-skilled labour force and the ability to transform the human element in production. By adapting new team-based methods of work composition, companies are able to internalise continuous quality improvements through individual self-empowerment. Encouraging the highest degree of satisfaction for the individual and the most effective work performance for the organisation, teamwork is able to provide the basis for productivity improvements while simultaneously delivering better work conditions to all team members. Organisational innovation and revitalisation are deeply implicated in the shape of uneven development, so rather than analysing a specific plan of workplace reform, the interpretation of key factors of work systems will be addressed to provide a framework of change; an unsettling period for internal politics between employees and employers, as they must reorganise themselves in line with new forms of interactive working. An empancipatory team environment improves communication and employee participation, re-aligns New Zealand's economy with the requirements for success in the modern global market as detailed by the sustainable advancements made by the Dairy Processing Board, BHP New Zealand Steel, Interlock Industries, MacPac Wilderness Equipment Ltd, Weddel Tomoana, Thames Toyota and Christchurch Parkroyal.Item Workplace reform and Weddels staff : a study in retrospect of staff perspectives(Massey University, 1995) Foster, Alan BarryThis dissertation addresses the question of the extent to which the concept of workplace reform has been compromised by the closure of the Tomoana (Hastings) plant of Weddel New Zealand Ltd. The Tomoana meat processing company in Hastings was part of the Weddel group that went into receivership on 19 August 1994 with the loss of approximately 1800 jobs. The company introduced an ongoing range of workplace measures, starting in 1991, and these measures were still continuing right up to the closure. The meat processing industry has been going through a series of restructuring measures since the late 1970s largely because of various trading difficulties and a sharp decline in sheep numbers. Weddels attempted to improve their position in the market by introducing Total Customer Service ("TCS") supported by International Standards Organization ("ISO") certification and Occupation safety and Health ("OSH") requirements. Alongside these measures was a cost saving and efficiency programme of various procedures such as teams, flatter management structure, skill-based pay system, redundancies and a wage cut of 13 percent for most workers. The on-site union officials were heavily involved in the implementation of TCS but once the delay 1993 announcement was implemented the union was fraught with internal problems resulting in a change of president. All the workers on site, approximately 1800, were put through an introduction of TCS. For the majority of workers that was the last time that they had any direct input into the changes until the wage cuts on May 1993. The workers reluctantly accepted the agreement negotiated by their union on the proviso that all workers would be assessed and reskilled so that their pay would reflect the work that they did. This was never acted upon because the system was too costly. Research of the literature found that workplace reform is an ill-defined concept because there has been no uniform approach that can actually pin-point and say with confidence, "that firm is applying workplace reform initiatives". However testing a number of defining characteristics, found in the literature on workplace reform, against the firm's change initiatives may demonstrate whether those initiatives satisfy various definitions of workplace reform. Those defining characteristics are embedded in a participative and cooperative model involving all the stakeholders in a firm. Was the concept compromised by the closure of Weddel? To ascertain whether this was correct the author reinterviewed a number of participants who had been part of a previous study on the initiatives introduced at Weddel Tomoana. In addition, to get a national picture of workplace reform, a key group of external participants were interviewed. What transpired from the evidence is that workplace reform initiatives at Tomoana were dominated by quality issues and cost saving measures. The participative and cooperative environment through involvement was management driven. The degree of involvement of all stakeholders in the initial stages of the change process was a marked improvement by meat processing industry standards. However this was short lived once management embarked on cost saving and efficiency measures. The trust that was in evidence in the initial stages gradually dissipated. The conclusion is that the concept of workplace reform was not compromised at Tomoana because it never fully met the criteria as defined by the characteristics found in the literature. "Therefore the Weddel experiment was indeed something considerably different from workplace reform".