ECER 2003
(EERA/VETNET)
Hamburg, 17-20 September 2003
Symposium on:
“Changing Occupational Identities in Europe”
(examples from health care, engineering and telecommunication sectors)
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Towards a “negotiator-network/mobility” mode of socialisation at work
within the telecommunication sector in Europe
M’Hamed DIF[1]
BETA/Céreq Alsace
University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg
ABSTRACT
The telecommunication sector is taking the lead within the dynamics of occupational identity transformation with an important restructuring spill-over effect on the rest of the sectors in Europe. During the last decade, it has undergone an accelerated structural change such as liberalisation of the market, innovation and the emergence of converging technologies due to significant developments in the product market accompanied by an increasing demand of individuals and firms for more overall “integrated telecom solutions and services”. All these changes have lead to an important change in work organisation, qualification and profile requirements and in the mode of socialisation at workplace. The traditional profession-based “corporatist/careerist” model of occupational identities (generally observed the level of national large companies which were in a monopolistic position) is declining and leaving the place to the emerging “negotiator-network/mobility” mode of socialisation at work. The latter is based on a high level of work-related learning, interactivity, flexibility and mobility with openness to change and strong identification with the quality of products and services provided to customers. It is mainly taken in charge by a new generation of telecom workers viewed as “neo-careerists” (redefinition strategists and new-comers), more proactive, mobile and flexible in the construction of their occupational identities and their project-based work in accordance with the emerging “user-provider” concept of work (where the traditional distinction between employer-employee are, more or less, blurred).
On the basis of a qualitative analysis of the results obtained at the level of the telecommunication sector, the paper will be a investigation into the nature, direction and implications of this change, through three basic sections. The first section will be an introduction of the contextual background requirements for change, taken from employers’ perspective. The second section will be an examination of the employees’ response and mode of socialisation at work. The last section will be for some overall conclusions and policy recommendations on national and European levels.
INTRODUCTION
The basic aim of the FAME Project[2] is a qualitative investigation into how employers and employees perceive change in the dynamics of work-related identity formation and transformation and its socio-professional implications in relation to the contemporary labour market increasing demand for a combination of high level of work performance, flexibility and mobility. As detailed in the project proposal, this overall aim includes:
· First, investigation and analysis of the phenomenon of traditional vocational identity in the seven European countries concerned, including the identification and analysis of recent changes in their formation and adaptation to the requirement of change.
· Then, extracting the 'critical features' for the social construct of a European concept of work, and making suggestions on how to promote them on national and European levels.
Consequently, the project design emphasises basically three interrelated research steps:
· National research literature review.
· Investigation and evaluation of employers’ perspectives.
· Investigation and evaluation of employees’ perception and reaction to change.
The field investigation as a whole was conducted on the basis of face-to-face semi-structured interviews with employers and employees within sectors representing different types of change in the workplace and patterns of interaction between work-related flexibility, mobility, learning and identification. These sectors were :
· The metal industry whose traditionally strong occupational identities have been challenged by important technical and organisational changes during the last three decades.
· Health care as representative of the traditional service sector, with formalised and regulated patterns of work-related identities.
· Telecommunications which is characterised by the emergence of a new generation of occupational identities capable of internalising change and transferring it directly and indirectly to other sectors within the economy.
Limiting itself to the latter (telecommunication sector), this paper is an examination of the overall key findings of the FAME investigation, undertaken from the perspective of employers and employees within France, Germany and the UK. Out of 98 in-depth interviews, 22 were conducted with the directors and/or HR mangers within different companies with varying sizes. Then, on the basis of this contextual background (from employers’ perspective), the remaining basic interviews (76 in-depth interviews) were mainly conducted with two categories of telecom employees: telecom “sellers” and “technicians/engineers”. Given that there is an increasing number of telecom companies which are explicitly crossing the border of their initial domain towards more integrated telecom/IT activities, the sample of interviewed employees included also overlapping “telecom/IT” cases.
The content of the paper is based on the partners’ reports, sample case studies and their feedback. It is structured according to the following interrelated sections:
· Section I: Employers' perspectives as a contextual background to sections II and III;
· Section II: Employees' perspectives: Patterns of identification and response strategies linked to the requirement of change at work and in its related environment (including some illustrative samples cases);
· Section III: Conclusion: Overall trends, implications and related policy recommendations.
- Section I -
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
(from employers’ perspective)
Three categories of interrelated factors were taken into consideration within the semi-structured employer-interviews and their qualitative evaluation: learning, organisational aspects and individual considerations from the employers’ perspective:
· Learning: How formal and non-formal learning are perceived by employers. How do they practically appreciate qualifications acquired through the initial formal learning system? How do they promote access to learning and take into account further non-formal work-related learning? To what extent the workplace constitutes a poor or rich learning environment. The effect of the latter on employees’ work related identity formation and development in particular, and their socio-professional promotion in general.
· Organisational aspects: Dominant organisational structures of the institution (pyramidal, flat, etc.), including work organisation (project/team-work organisation, externalisation, etc.), forms of related labour flexibility/mobility and their effect on employees’ identity formation, learning and socio-professional promotion.
· Individual scope considerations: Autonomy, communicability, responsibility, empowerment, time and functional flexibility, mobility (promotional, horizontal, …), dominant forms of identification (team, product, service, culture of the enterprise, …) and learning, including their affect on work performance and the concept of work itself.
In the light of these interrelated criteria (taken simultaneously), the key findings of this stage of investigation were evaluated and presented as two basic variations: the case of traditionally well established large telecom firms and that of small ones (including some small and medium sized subsidiaries of multinational firms). These cases are differentiated according to the nature of identification, the characteristics of the implied model of flexibility/mobility and their implications for change, learning and socio-professional promotion.
In the French context, two basic variations were observed in the employer-interviews. The first variation concerns basically large telecom firms, which although still relatively anchored to their traditional organisational structure and mode of human resource management and development, have been undergoing, during the last decade, an important structural change. They are introducing greater flexibility and mobility in the patterns of work organisation by increasingly loosening the link between job descriptions and qualification requirements. Individuals are more and more assigned to jobs that require a combination of functional flexibility and mobility and use of transversal competencies. In addition to their important involvement in the two components of CVT promotion (employee self-directed learning and the dominant employer-directed CVT), including the accreditation of experiential learning, these firms (i.e. large ones) are also involved in the initial (alternating) vocational inclusion schemes such as apprenticeship and 'vocational training contracts'. The latter concerns basically candidates for high technician diplomas whose training contracts can be transformed into work contracts (e.g. with France Telecom).
As for the second variation, within French telecom sector, it is represented by small firms (including small and relatively autonomous subsidiaries of transnational companies) with relatively more flexible and/or simple organisational structures where individuals are highly autonomous (with greater responsibility), mobile and attached to their work as 'telecom professionals'. Within these firms, work and product related learning and training is usually secured at the level of the telecom constructor or product supplier (with the aim of promoting punctual functional internal flexibility and mobility). They are also involved in CVT, especially employer directed CVT. Through certification-based CVT, many technicians can have access to some sort of promotional mobility, including higher professional status such as the grade of engineer. On the whole, the average size of telecom companies has been decreasing, especially during the last decade. This has mainly been due to the liberalisation of the telecommunication market in Europe, accompanied by both break-ups and the emergence of new firms. It has also been observed that, in general, the decreased size of companies has been accompanied by a decreasing level of unionisation and bargaining coverage. Moreover, the increasing rate of external and internal functional/spatial labour mobility within the sector has been accompanied by increasing demand for employees with a high level of both technical and hybrid skills.
As for the German telecommunication sector, ten years ago it was (like in France) a state monopoly. Since then, a process of transformation, through organisational restructuring and privatisation with shareholders interests, has taken place. Given its overwhelming size and historical domination in the sector, it is expected to take some time for other small competitors and communication providers to become well established and gain market share. Telecom competitors which have started to build up their own wire-network in order to become independent of 'Telekom' network. A specific regulation authority has been created in order to keep an eye on these changes and allow other competitors to have the chance of getting established in the telecommunication market.
Moreover, in order to keep pace with the changing nature of work (within this continuous process of structural reorganisation), Telekom and other telecommunication providers have initiated new occupational profiles in accordance with their new qualification needs. They are also starting to have trainees for this new occupations that have been integrated in the dual system. Some expect that the newly defined occupational profiles will be the dominating occupations in the future.
However, the actions undertaken to cope with the requirement of change and promote competition within the telecom sector, might be hindered by at least two basic factors:
– Lack of highly qualified telecom workers. However, the existence of important retraining programmes for employees, affected by this process of reorganisation in the sector, for their professional conversion and reintegration purposes, has effectively contributed to the reduction of this constraint. For example, a retraining programme has enabled 100,000 ex-employees from the German Post to become telecom sales staffs, technicians and ICT experts.
– German customers are still attached to the traditionally well-established 'German Telekom' products and services. They sill resist quite strongly other telecom suppliers.
Although the process of privatisation and restructuring of BT (British Telecom) started earlier than in France and Germany (in the early 80’s), the whole sector is still undergoing very rapid change, especially in its product markets. Both technical skills and hybrid competencies are in great demand. Communication-related ('soft') skills and team-working are required as employees to become increasingly flexible. There have been three principal drivers of change: technological developments, changes in the product markets and deregulation in the sector. Technological convergence and inter-connectivity are driving the need for hybrid technical skills. One market driver is that customers are often looking for suppliers who can deliver ‘complete solutions’ for their telecom needs. The skill development strategies are increasingly making use of university graduates and work-related continuing learning while working. Transfer of skills and knowledge, including tacit knowledge, is facilitated by staff often changing their jobs. One of the implications is that there is a decreasing attachment to particular organisations or occupations. This is compensated by the employees’ increased willingness to consider work in the light of the particular opportunities available and their own self-understanding of the skills and abilities they possess. Major issues affecting occupational identities include the utilisation and management of sub-contracting, including the use of staff from temporary employment agencies. Work-related interactivity is increasingly high within telecom industry not only due to deregulation and the need for standards, but also because people are moving around. Large companies are not minding if technical staff are taken over by suppliers, because they will be able to know how the system works and are likely to maintain some network links and contacts. It also gives them the opportunity to re-energise the company with new blood (staff). Due to an increasing demand for integrated solutions from customers, most of telecom companies are looking for people with hybrid technical and soft skills.
1. LEARNING
Formal qualifications acquired within the initial education and training systems are increasingly appreciated by both large and small to medium telecom employers in the three countries. This is linked to the increased demand for qualified workers such as higher technicians and engineers. In order to keep pace with the changing nature of work, Germany has developed and integrated into its dual system new professional profiles. The three to three and half year centralised apprenticeship programmes are also used by employers as a recruitment strategy. In France and the UK, the telecom employers’ recruitment strategy is increasingly in favour of employing young graduates possessing high technical qualifications and hybrid skills.
As for the offer of work-related continuing vocational training, there are some variations. Its nature and scope are observed to be dependent on the size of the company and to some extent on how the informal/non-formal learning is valued and recognised. Most of the large companies investigated are involved in the two main components of continuing vocational training of their employees: the dominant (obligatory) employer-directed training and learning and the (voluntary) employee self-directed training and learning. Within small firms, it appears that there are some variations. For instance, in Germany the provision of continuing vocational training (CVT) is basically self-directed learning, while in France it is practically limited to employer-directed learning (mainly product and service linked training and apprenticeship).