The dynamics of delayering: changing management structures in three countries

Littler, Craig R. and Wiesner, Retha ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2849-2337 and Dunford, Richard (2003) The dynamics of delayering: changing management structures in three countries. Journal of Management Studies, 40 (2). pp. 225-256. ISSN 0022-2380

Abstract

The 1990s witnessed significant changes in organizational design philosophy.This paper delineates trends in delayering based on surveys of 2964 organizations across three countries and assesses the effects in terms of management structures, workloads,productivity and the notion of the 'survivor syndrome'. It concludes that delayering has been widespread as an organizational strategy; that there are few signs of a delayering -relayering cycle, but the effects in relation to managers was a collapse of commitment in Australia and South Africa. However, there were significant diffences in New Zealand. A downsizing/delayering model is discussed.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Author Version not held.
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - Department of Management and Organisational Behaviour (Up to 31 Mar 2007)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - Department of Management and Organisational Behaviour (Up to 31 Mar 2007)
Date Deposited:	29 Apr 2010 03:00
Last Modified:	01 Feb 2021 03:45
Uncontrolled Keywords:	management structure; delayering; organizational behaviour
Fields of Research (2008):	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 1503 Business and Management > 150311 Organisational Behaviour 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170107 Industrial and Organisational Psychology 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 1503 Business and Management > 150305 Human Resources Management
Fields of Research (2020):	35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour > 350710 Organisational behaviour 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5201 Applied and developmental psychology > 520104 Industrial and organisational psychology (incl. human factors) 35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3505 Human resources and industrial relations > 350503 Human resources management
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008):	B Economic Development > 91 Economic Framework > 9102 Microeconomics > 910202 Human Capital Issues
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/7699

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