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Downsizing

Downsizing

Downsizing

Is Less Still More?
Cary L. Cooper, Lancaster University
Alankrita Pandey, University of Texas, Arlington
James Campbell Quick, University of Texas, Arlington
March 2015
Paperback
9781107499362

    Downsizing is one of the most frequently used business strategies for reducing costs, returning firms to profit or for restructuring businesses following takeovers, mergers and acquisitions. Downsizing measures are also set to become much more prevalent in the public sector as governments seek to restrict levels of public spending. This book is one of the first to provide a thorough study of downsizing from a global perspective. It examines the phenomenon in its entirety, exploring how it is initiated and what the process of downsizing looks like. It also looks at the effects of downsizing at a number of different levels, from the individual (e.g., motivational effects, effects on health and stress levels) to the organizational (e.g., financial outcomes, reputational and productivity outcomes). Written by an international team of experts, the book provides a comprehensive overview of downsizing that examines both the strategic and human implications of this process.

    • A comprehensive overview of downsizing, one of the most understudied phenomena in modern business
    • Provides a global perspective that moves beyond the usual US-centric view
    • Examines the affects of downsizing from an employee and survivor perspective rather than just the organizational outcomes

    Reviews & endorsements

    'Cooper, Pandey, and Quick have captured the most important information on the topic of downsizing available to date. In an era when downsizing is pervasive, its impact enormous, and its implementation still uncertain, this is a must-have book both for scholars and researchers as well as for leaders and practitioners who face the need to downsize.' Kim Cameron, William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

    'When organizational leaders hire people, they instigate a social contract that cannot simply be forgotten when times are hard. On the contrary, these are the times when true leaders come to the fore. This book tackles the important topic of downsizing with intelligence and sensitivity, taking a kaleidoscopic view integrating the salient elements of life in organizations. Anybody who is dealing with the challenges that downsizing brings would be wise to get hold of this book as it gives invaluable advice in how to turn such demanding situations into more constructive outcomes.' Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries, Clinical Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change and Raoul de Vitry d'Avaucourt Chaired Professor of Leadership Development, INSEAD

    'This book provides a series of chapters from leading academic researchers on the issue of downsizing. It pulls together contemporary findings and ideas on the macro and micro economic causes of downsizing, the way in which the strategy risks becoming institutionalised, the management of job loss, the individual experience of downsizing, and the subsequent impact that it has. It provides a timely analysis of a business strategy that will persist throughout this decade.' Paul Sparrow, Professor of International Human Resource Management and Director of the Centre for Performance-led HR, Lancaster University Management School

    'As downsizing has become ubiquitous in today's business organizations, it is about time to take a deep, rigorous, and multidisciplinary look at it. This book does just that, and in so doing, provides a state of the art description, critique, and prescription for both academics and practitioners.' Patrick M. Wright, William J. Conaty GE Professor of Strategic Human Resources, Cornell University

    See more reviews

    Product details

    March 2015
    Paperback
    9781107499362
    456 pages
    228 × 152 × 24 mm
    0.65kg
    24 b/w illus. 15 tables
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • List of figures
    • List of tables
    • List of contributors
    • Part I. Overview:
    • 1. Job loss and effects on firms and workers Kevin Hallock, Michael R. Strain and Douglas Webber
    • 2. How does downsizing come about? Wayne F. Cascio
    • 3. The antecedents of downsizing Sarah J. Freeman and Kyle Ehrhardt
    • Part II. Human Outcomes:
    • 4. Human motivation and performance outcomes in the context of downsizing Aharon Tziner, Erich C. Fein and Lior Oren
    • 5. To downsize human capital: a strategic human resource perspective on the disparate outcomes of downsizing Gary C. McMahan, Alankrita Pandey and Brian Martinson
    • 6. Health effect outcomes: 'survivor disease' in the context of economic change Johannes Siegrist and Nico Dragano
    • Part III. Organizational Outcomes:
    • 7. Employee downsizing and organizational performance: what do we know? Deepak K. Datta, Dynah A. Basuil and Elena A. Radeva
    • 8. Executive perceptions: probing the institutionalization of organizational downsizing William McKinley and Jasmin Chia-Jung Lin
    • 9. Reducing costs and enhancing efficiency or damaging the company: downsizing in today's global economy Kenneth P. De Meuse and Guangrong Dai
    • Part IV. Post-Downsizing Implications:
    • 10. The stress outcomes of downsizing M. Blake Hargrove, Cary L. Cooper and James Campbell Quick
    • 11. Good downsizing Rocki-Lee Dewitt
    • 12. Post-downsizing implications and consequences: a global perspective Franco Gandolfi, Lisa M. Renz, Magnus Hansson and John B. Davenport
    • 13. Exploring the etiology of positive stakeholder behavior in global downsizing Shay S. Tzafrir, Hila Chalutz Ben-Gal and Simon L. Dolan
    • Index.
      Contributors
    • Kevin Hallock, Michael R. Strain, Douglas Webber, Wayne F. Cascio, Sarah J. Freeman, Kyle Ehrhardt, Aharon Tziner, Erich C. Fein, Lior Oren, Gary C. McMahan, Alankrita Pandey, Brian Martinson, Johannes Siegrist, Nico Dragano, Deepak K. Datta, Dynah A. Basuil, Elena A. Radeva, William McKinley, Jasmin Chia-Jung Lin, Kenneth P. De Meuse, Guangrong Dai, M. Blake Hargrove, Cary L. Cooper, James Campbell Quick, Rocki-Lee Dewitt, Franco Gandolfi, Lisa M. Renz, Magnus Hansson, John B. Davenport, Shay S. Tzafrir, Hila Chalutz Ben-Gal, Simon L. Dolan

    • Editors
    • Cary L. Cooper , University of Manchester

      Cary L. Cooper, CBE is Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School.

    • Alankrita Pandey , University of Texas, Arlington

      Alankrita Pandey is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Management at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business.

    • James Campbell Quick , University of Texas, Arlington

      James Campbell Quick is John and Judy Goolsby Distinguished Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business.