Organizational Structure, Determinants of Promotion, and Gender Differences in Attainment

In this paper, we differentiate between merit and vacancy driven promotion regimes. In the former, a vacancy at a higher level is not necessary for promotion; in the latter, a job opening is required. Using work histories from a large insurance company we investigate the implications for individual attainment from exposure to each of the advancement systems. We also examine how organizational structures differentially generate the two kinds of advancement regimes. Vacancy-based moves represent discontinuities in an otherwise orderly career progression; they become relevant when an employee reaches the ceiling grade of a job ladder or wishes to change work location.We conclude by examining the ability of this formulation of promotion regimes to account for the lower rates of attainment by women, relative to men, in large corporate settings

Are Female Workers Less Productive Than Male Workers?

This paper addresses whether there are productivity differences between men and women among blue-collar workers. We compare the wages under piece- and time-rate contracts of men and women working in the same occupation in the same establishment in three countries: the U.S., Norway, and Sweden. The findings are summarized in four points. First, the gender wage gap is smaller under piece- than under time-rate work. According to the interpretation put forth here, two thirds of the gap at the occupation–establishment level is due to productivity differences, while one third is not “accounted for”, but could be due to discrimination or experience or other factors. Productivity differences between sexes in typically male-dominated blue-collar industries are however very small, of 1– 3%: Sweden 1%, U.S. 2% and Norway 3%. Second, in age groups where women on average have extensive family obligations, the wage gap is larger than in other age groups. Third, under time-rate work, the wage gap is more or less independent of supposed occupation-based productivity differences between men and women, while under piece-rate work, the wage gap mirrors quite closely assumed productivity differences, with women receiving a wage premium in female-advantageous settings and a penalty in male-advantageous settings. Fourth, in contrast to Sweden, in Norway and the U.S. women sort more often into piece-rate work than men.

The Structure of Employment Terminations among Clerical Employees in a Large Bureaucracy

In this paper we study departure rates among clerical employees in a large hierarchical organization, a US insurance company. Two aspects of the turnover process are considered. First, we study how the departure rate is determined by promotion opportunities in the organization. We ask: In structural positions where the promotion rates are low, are the departure rates high, and vice-versa? Second, we distinguish between different types of departures hose that occur or career reasons such as better job options and higher earnings outside the organization hose that occur for personal reasons, such as having to tend to the needs of one's family; and involuntary departures, that is, dismissals and abolished positions. We attempt to assess which type of departure is most influenced by the presence of promotion opportunities and particular organizational structures. The main findings are: (1) Departure rates are lower in company positions with high promotion rates than in positions with low promotion rates, keeping the level of current achievement constant. This finding suggests that the study of organizational careers and the study of organizational departures need to be integrated. (2) Promotion opportunities in the company have a stronger influence on departures for career-related reasons than on departures for personal reasons. This suggests that organizational opportunity’s structures re more effective in controlling career-related turnover than in influencing other types of terminations

The role of projects in shaping businesses capabilities and structure since the 1960s

Project studies have emerged as a thriving subfield of management and organisation research. Central to project studies, is the idea that engaging in projects has long-term effects on businesses capabilities and structure. While understanding organisational change has been central to business history’s mission, historians have paid little attention to the role projects play in shaping organisations. We address this gap. Based on three cases, we analyse why and how businesses in different contexts increased their engagement with projects, whether their engagement was part of a conscious strategy, and how it affected their structure and capabilities. The article contributes to business history by showing how concepts developed in project studies cast new light on projects as a historical phenomenon and provides a valuable theoretical framework for explaining organisational change. Based on this, we suggest projects constitute a fruitful avenue for further historical research and interdisciplinary dialogue with management and organisation research.publishedVersio

Den økonomisk-sosiologiske tradisjon â historisk overblikk og aktuelle perspektiver

Temaet for denne artikkelen er hvordan representanter for faget sosiologi opp gjennom historien har betraktet det økonomiske subsystemet i samfunnet. Artikkelen åpner med en kort gjennomgang av de sosiologiske klassikere og deres relasjon til økonomisk utvikling. Deretter drøfter vi ulike faser som har kjennetegnet utviklingen fram til dagens økonomiske sosiologi. Vi starter ut med hva som skjedde i kjølvannet av den såkalte metodestriden på slutten av 1800-tallet. Deretter går vi inn på etterkrigstidens sosiologiske kritikk av økonomisk teori og analyse. Denne delen av artikkelen avrundes ved at vi presenterer bakgrunnen og grunnlaget for det som i dag går under betegnelsen ââ¬ÂNy økonomisk sosiologiââ¬Â (NÃS). Til sist i artikkelen drøfter og gir vi en nærmere presentasjon av tre teoretiske posisjoner i grenselandet mellom sosiologi og økonomi. De tre teoriene er transaksjonskostnadsteori, prinsipal-agentteori og effektivitetslønnsteori. Sentralt i disse tre posisjonene står spørsmålet om hvordan man kan overkomme atferd hos økonomiske aktører som gir utfall som ikke er effektive eller optimale. Ikke-optimale utfall betyr at man kan bedre resultatet for én eller flere parter, uten at det går på bekostning av andre involverte aktører. Disse tre teoriene inntar i dag en dominerende plass i økonomisk-sosiologiske perspektiver på fordeling, rettferdighet og effektivitet

Within-Job Gender Pay Inequality in 15 Countries

Extant research on the gender pay gap suggests that men and women who do the same work for the same employer receive similar pay, so that processes sorting people into jobs are thought to account for the vast majority of the pay gap. Data that can identify women and men who do the same work for the same employer are rare, and research informing this crucial aspect of gender differences in pay is several decades old and from a limited number of countries. Here, using recent linked employer–employee data from 15 countries, we show that the processes sorting people into different jobs account for substantially less of the gender pay differences than was previously believed and that within-job pay differences remain consequential

Within-job gender pay inequality in 15 countries

Extant research on the gender pay gap suggests that men and women who do the same work for the same employer receive similar pay, so that processes sorting people into jobs are thought to account for the vast majority of the pay gap. Data that can identify women and men who do the same work for the same employer are rare, and research informing this crucial aspect of gender differences in pay is several decades old and from a limited number of countries. Here, using recent linked employer–employee data from 15 countries, we show that the processes sorting people into different jobs account for substantially less of the gender pay differences than was previously believed and that within-job pay differences remain consequential