employment laws that support worker voice in the context of stakeholder needs.
This appears to impact on the take-up of voice systems (Kessler et al. 2004 ; Paauwe
2004 ). At the other extreme are countries tending towards a liberal market economy
where there is less legislation on workers’ rights and employers have greater freedom
to choose HR systems they feel are appropriate for business needs. In this latter
situation, given little societal or legal pressure to implement particular forms of
voice there might be a broader range of voice systems, but in the absence of direct
intervention it is unlikely to be promoted, and may even be impeded. Of course, the
situation is complicated by the interrelationship between multinationals, national
business systems, and models of indirect voice (Rubery and Grimshaw 2003 ).
- 2 Product Markets
A number of authors have analyzed how product markets might impact on HRM
by relating the market orientation or the strategic position of the organization to its
management style (for example, Schuler and Jackson 1987 ; Marchington 1990 ).
Broadly, voice is more likely to be promoted when employers dominate product
markets because they feel there is room for maneuver when developing HRM and
voice systems. Being engaged in long-term deals with other organizations for the
supply of a relatively rare product or being known for the high quality of their
products or service makes it easier to establish the link between voice and product
market success. Task-based participation, teamworking, and upward problem-
solving can all be seen to contribute directly to improved performance. The links
are less clear for grievance processes, but line managers would probably prefer staV
to express their concerns directly rather than venting their frustration on cus-
tomers. Conversely, voice is likely to be impeded if market pressures appear to
allow managers little time to make decisions, so causing them to doubt the value of
voice. Instability in product markets can mean that employers such as small
subcontractors feel at the mercy of the market and argue there is no time or need
to develop voice (Marchington et al. 2004 ).
- 3 Technology, Skill, and StaYng Levels
Similar sets of arguments apply in relation to levels of technology and skills
(Benson and Lawler 2003 ), especially where labor costs form a major component
of controllable costs. This can mean organizations operate with skeleton staYng
levels, allowing little opportunity for voice during working hours because of service
or production pressures. Moreover, employers may feel little incentive to develop
voice if labor turnover is high because any beneWts gained by giving employees
greater discretion or engaging in upward problem-solving are lost when they quit.
244 mick marchington