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The Important Role of the Maintenance Workforce in Technological Change: A Much Neglected Aspect
Abstract
Existing studies of maintenance skills mainly follow one of two traditions: that within the framework of the labour process debate and that of the need for (new) maintenance skills for organizational and national competitiveness. This article intends to broaden the framework of analysis concerning maintenance skills which has so far been fragmented and narrowly focused. Drawing on findings from an indepth case study of five manufacturing firms through semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey, this article argues that maintenance workers have a more important role to play in technological change than is commonly assumed by their managers and by writers on maintenance work. Instead of being passive recipients of, or a source of resistance to, technological change, they can, and are willing to, facilitate and initiate technological change in their organizations. However, this enabling role is conditioned by organizational factors such as management style, product market, organization of maintenance work, human resource practices, and type of technological/equipment to be maintained. This article concludes that the valuable potential of maintenance employees is rarely appropriated by firms, many of which are enthusiastically seeking additional competitiveness.
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The creativity of grassroots workers has long been neglected.
“However, the creativity of grassroots workers has long been neglected (Cooke, 2002).”
From Advancing the sustainability agenda through strategic human resource management: Insights and suggestions for future research (2023) · cites this paper as Cooke, 2002
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Cited by
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Ren, S., Cooke, F. L., Stahl, G. K., Fan, D., & Timming, A. R. (2023) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.22169 · Cited by 148
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Cooke, F. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Cooke, Fang Lee
- ORCID
- Cooke, Fang Lee
- Venue
- Human Relations
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-08
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 963-988
- ISSN
- 0018-7267 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-282X
- OpenAlex
- W2143316369
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 6.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Human Relations (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Labor Movements and Unions
- Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Education and Learning Practices
- Social Sciences › Education › Vocational Education and Training
- Keywords
- maintenance personnel, maintenance skills, technological change, labor process, enterprise competitiveness, management style, human resource management practices, manufacturing companies
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