Adapting to survive: The case of Danish employers' organisations. (21st May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ibsen, Christian Lyhne; Navrbjerg, Steen E.
• Other Names: Gooberman Leon guestEditor.; Hauptmeier Marco guestEditor.; Heery Edmund guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Human resource management journal. Volume 29:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 36
• Page End: 50
• Publication Date: 2018-05-21
• Subjects: change -- coordination -- Denmark -- employers' organisations -- internationalisation; Personnel management -- Periodicals; 658.3
• DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12182
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-5395

Abstract

Abstract: Scholars often characterise Danish employers' organisations (EOs) as relatively stable, with a continuing role in the coordination of industrial relations and corporatist policymaking. This article shows that, beneath surface stability, Danish EOs have significantly adapted structurally and functionally to survive environmental pressures. However, rather than converging onto a liberal market trajectory, we find that Danish EOs have layered new functions onto traditional collective functions. We also find significant variations in functional adaptation depending on the employer constituencies' exposure to international competition and position in value chains. We argue that these adaptations imply that the provision of collective goods, especially in collective bargaining, is no longer sufficient for the survival of EOs.