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Downsizing Organizations: Uses, Outcomes and Strategies
Author(s) -
Ryan Lisa,
Macky Keitb A.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1177/103841119803600204
Subject(s) - human resource management , human resources , productivity , organizational behavior and human resources , action (physics) , public relations , organizational commitment , knowledge management , business , management , psychology , political science , computer science , economics , physics , quantum mechanics , macroeconomics
This paper reviews the contemporary literature on organizational downsizing. It is not intended that the review be definitive. Instead, the objective is to provide an overview of the field with a view to informing future research directions and possible human resource management practice. In recent years, in response to calls for reduced costs and higher productivity, down sizing has become an increasingly common human resource management strategy. The paper begins with brief look at the language used to describe organizational downsizing, together with a discussion of downsizing as purposive managerial action. Tbe research on downsizing outcomes is then reviewed, with a particular focus on the attitudes, behaviour and organizational commitment of those employees who remain after downsizing (the ‘survivors’), and those who lose their jobs (the ‘victims’). Different strategies for downsizing and their outcomes are then reviewed, followed by conclusions and suggestions for further research.