Doing the right thing? An institutional perspective on responsible restructuring in UK local government
基于制度理论，通过英国地方政府的纵向案例研究，揭示重组实践如何受组织和制度环境及合法性关切影响，发现持续削减通过持续改进叙事合法化，导致劳动力灵活性增加、工作强度加大和管理主义强化。
Abstract Drawing on institutional theory, this paper advances understanding of how restructuring practices are shaped by the organisational and institutional context and the concerns for legitimacy. Longitudinal case study findings from UK local government suggest a pattern of incremental deviance where repeated cutbacks are legitimised through a narrative of continuous improvement. This results in increased labour flexibility, work intensity and managerialism within services. We argue that the lack of resistance to change can be explained by the steady desensitisation of workers to repeated cutbacks as opposed to the inherent fairness of management actions. Through context‐specific research the theoretical and empirical distinctions between responsible and pure restructuring, and soft and hard Human Resource Management policies, are challenged.