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Examines the factors which underpin the success of total quality management (TQM) initiatives. Uses data drawn from an in‐ depth, longitudinal case study of British Steel Teesside Works. Provides information on the background to the case study and an overview of the historical development of TQM. Evaluates TQM’s contribution to organizational success against five main criteria: health and safety; environment; efficiency; supplier management; and changing organizational culture and employee attitudes. Concludes by discussing the key factors in the sustaining of TQM in the case organization.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evidence for trade union renewal in the UK fire service. Its aim is to consider two main questions: “How have union‐management relations and the industrial relations climate been affected by management reforms?” and “To the extent that there is deterioration in the IR climate, has this had an effect on union leadership style and also on union commitment and participation amongst ordinary members?”

The paper draws on interviews with managers and union representatives and a survey of firefighters in the north of England.

The research finds that a marked deterioration in the industrial relations climate led to changes in union leadership and to an increase in union commitment and participation amongst ordinary members. The poor climate created the conditions for union renewal by bringing forward union activists with more inclusive styles and by raising membership awareness of the need to vigorously defend their existing terms and conditions.

There is a research gap in the industrial relations literature on how industrial relations climate impacts on the renewal of workplace trade unionism.

This paper helps to fill the research gap in the industrial relations literature on how industrial relations climate impacts on the renewal of workplace trade unionism.

Black & Decker UK has approached quality management through Total Customer Service. The programme involves communications, employee participation through quality circles and TCS groups, plant reorganisation and changes in pay and grading. After five years, what are the results?

Upward appraisal involves staff having a formal input into their manager’s or supervisor’s performance appraisal. Reviews the rationale for the adoption of upward appraisal systems for manager’s, and identifies a number of key factors likely to contribute towards the more widespread use of upward appraisal. Describes upward appraisal systems in practice, reviewing what they are used for, who is appraised, what is appraised, and how the appraisals are conducted. Then discusses the effectiveness of upward appraisal, paying particular attention to its acceptability to managers, subordinates and trade unions. Finally, considers whether the transplant of what is largely an American practice can be more widely achieved in the UK and proposes some areas for future research.

Introduces the job perceptual discrepancies index (JPDI), which is based on an empirical study of social workers and their team supervisors and was created by comparing supervisors’ and subordinates’ evaluations of the levels of importance of the various tasks in the subordinates’ job. The findings indicate that while subordinates and supervisors in this particular case, generally had similar job perceptions, larger JPDI values have negative implications for subordinates’ job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Considers the utility of the JPDI for both researchers and practitioners in investigating supervisor‐subordinate differences in job perception.

Explores the recruitment and organizing experience of trade unions. Draws on in‐depth interviews with union full‐time officials and on the Workplace Industrial Relations Surveys (WIRS). Describes the experience of union recruitment, and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of various forms of recruitment campaigns, in which unions had little success in extending organization.

Looks at Quality Management (QM) and its extent of success or failure. Presents survey results, by the Institute of Management, which enables a further discussion. The survey, by postal questionnaire, was sent to 4,000 British Institute of Management members, and 880 usable responses (22 per cent) were received. The results and effects were discussed and key questions addressed. Concludes that there has been surprisingly little research on such issues and that although postal questionnaires are not ideal for research on this topic, the key issues highlighted can be further investigated through in‐depth case study research.

In recent years, quality management has become topical in management circles. The language of quality has spread throughout manufacturing industry into service industries and also into the public sector. During 1992, almost 900 Institute of Management members completed a questionnaire on quality management in their own organizations. The aim of the survey was to add to our knowledge of quality management in the UK. This article presents a brief overview of some of the main findings of the survey.

Quality management has been in vogue within manufacturing for over a decade. Service industries have more recently been making heavy investments in this area. Also there are major initiatives from the public sector to improve quality. Investigates the take‐up of quality management techniques in the public sector, their perceived effectiveness and the consequent impact on the managers running the programmes (private sector services are used as a basis for comparison). Results of survey responses from 394 service organizations show that the uptake of quality management techniques is now similar between public and private sectors, as is the perception of the impact on managerial work. A major difference occurs in terms of perceived effectiveness and results of the quality programmes. In this latter area the public sector fares somewhat worse.

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