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To what extent do line managers play a role in modern industrial relations?
Author(s) -
Townsend Keith
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
asia pacific journal of human resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.825
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1744-7941
pISSN - 1038-4111
DOI - 10.1111/1744-7941.12015
Subject(s) - line management , industrial relations , hierarchy , legislation , business , line (geometry) , process (computing) , public relations , management , knowledge management , political science , computer science , economics , law , geometry , mathematics , operating system
Despite significant changes in industrial relations ( IR ) legislation in recent decades, research has failed to place the line manager at the centre of analysis on IR performance. There is much published about their HR role, but both HRM and IR relate directly to managing people in the workplace. This means that line managers’ IR role is also important to understand. This paper asks does the line manager play a role in modern industrial relations and how organisations can support line managers in their IR role. While aspects of IR have been transformed in A ustralia to a very legalistic process, data from three A ustralian cases indicate that the training and skills of line managers has a strong impact on their performance in workplace‐level IR matters. Furthermore, their level within the corporate hierarchy determines the type of IR activities in which they are involved.