Work Organization has achieved recent prominence in European policy, as new employment guidelines are embodied in the policies of all European Member States. New forms of Work Organization, properly understood, offer collaborative competitive advantage to European enterprises. This book, based on decades of action research in separate European nations, identifies the research background from which these new insights and policy initiatives have emerged, with continuing lessons to be learned from differences. Work Organization is the missing link which enables innovation and training to produce sustainable increases in productivity: this is not mere academic theory but also vital practical business. The book launches a new European research agenda, which is attracting interest from across the developed world and beyond. Rather than arguing for a stronger role for the state, or simply leaving matters to the market, the book presents a “third way” based on networks and coalitions, illustrated with numerous current European case studies, which provide explanations for developments at the level of enterprises, regions and the European Union itself. The book provides valuable insights into new European Commission initiatives and Transatlantic Dialogue, and provides the foundations for renewed democratic dialogue.

Consolidated report on the development of new forms of work organization in EC countries - discusses its development in context of changing work attitudes, esp. Towards the quality of working life, obstacles and state intervention through labour legislation and economic aid; considers trade union, employers and tripartite initiatives, trade union attitudes, and the role of research. Bibliography.

Report of a 1978 survey on work organization trends in Germany, Federal Republic - covers sociological aspects and the economic background regarding quality of working life, job design, working conditions and workers participation, and comments on related labour legislation and labour relations, identifies gaps in research, and includes overall tripartite evaluation reports on work organization in nine EC countries. Bibliography pp. A1 to a10. Conference held in dublin 1978 October 26 and 27.

Innovations in the information and communication technologies have allowed considerable decentralization of office work bringing about a novel form of work organization: telework. The papers in this book discuss the technical, economical, organizational, legal, and social aspects of the "telework" concept.