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Textbook A Better Way of Doing Business Lessons From The John Lewis Partnership 1St Edition Salaman Ebook All Chapter PDF
Textbook A Better Way of Doing Business Lessons From The John Lewis Partnership 1St Edition Salaman Ebook All Chapter PDF
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OUP CORRECTED PROOF – FINAL, 5/7/2016, SPi
‘For the first time, the workings of the John Lewis Partnership are instruct-
ively examined by academics who have had high level and sustained access
to the organisation. This book is a “must read” for anyone wishing to
understand what lies behind the “partnership model” of corporate gov-
ernance and the lessons that it may offer to business and society.’
Hugh Willmott, Professor of Management,
Cass Business School, City University London
‘A rare study combining depth and breadth. The authors have a thorough
knowledge of the Partnership, both academic and practical, over many
years; and they are able to view it in the context of criticisms of capitalist
ownership and the experiences of other cooperative businesses across the
industrial world. The research is nuanced, careful, balanced, genuinely
inquiring. The conclusions greatly advance the understanding of both
the strengths and challenges of cooperative governance.’
Charles Heckscher, Professor, Rutgers University
School of Management and Labor Relations
OUP CORRECTED PROOF – FINAL, 5/7/2016, SPi
1
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3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP,
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© Graeme Salaman and John Storey 2016
The moral rights of the authors have been asserted
First Edition published in 2016
Impression: 1
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Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
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OUP CORRECTED PROOF – FINAL, 5/7/2016, SPi
Preface
Preface
viii
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Preface
ix
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Preface
x
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Preface
the senior ones—as a set of checks and balances. But governance in JLP—
certainly in terms of accountability—is contentious. Non-executive directors
are a relatively new phenomenon on the Board and their role is still uncertain
and ambiguous in this ‘employee-owned’ business. Governance issues are also
raised through the dynamics of managers acting nominally as ‘agents’ of the
‘principals’ (the employee owners) (Berle and Means 1967). Directors often
claim that their role is as ‘agents’; yet, in many ways, they act as relatively free
agents and assume a principal-like standing and mode of behaviour
(Eisenhardt 1989). Similarly, despite the declared commitment to sharing
knowledge, there is the problem of asymmetrical information in practice
and the danger that agents act in their own self-interest. The emphasis, for
example, on growth and expansion and the prioritizing of sales at the expense
of returns to partners, is seen by some critics as evidence of just such a
tendency. This theme is explored in depth in the book along with similar
areas of action such as policy in relation to the pension scheme and decisions
about the bonus. The nature and meaning of JLP has, of course, been explored
by others. The workings of the democracy were researched in a classic book by
Allan Flanders and colleagues (Flanders et al. 1968). The business performance
aspects were examined in the early 1990s (Bradley and Taylor 1992). More
recently, work by Peter Cox, a former JLP manager has contributed a useful
narrative of the growth of the business (Cox 2010). Work by academics,
Cathcart, Paranque, and Willmott have raised fundamental issues of the
wider significance of the Partnership in relation to capitalism (Cathcart
2009, 2013a, 2013b; Paranque and Willmott 2013).
A further domain of theory illuminated the wider question of the work of
managers. As Colin Hales once put the question ‘What do managers do?’
(Hales 1986). This has been a long-standing debate with important classic
contributions from Rosemary Stewart (1976) and Henry Mintzberg (1973).
Related work on managers and their work has focused on the theme of
managerial identity (Knights and Willmott 1999; Alvesson and Willmott
2002). This book contributes to the debate by shedding light on the detail of
managers’ daily work and the way they think about their role and the way
they conduct it.
A final contribution to theory made in the book that we want to highlight
here concerns the handling of contemporary employment relations. The
Partnership has gone to unusual lengths in developing elaborate processes of
employee consultation and engagement. Considerable investment of time
and money is allocated to the maintenance of the supporting institutions.
‘Employee voice’ is celebrated as invaluable to the realization of the model and
to its performance outcomes. The book explores these themes in depth and in
so doing contributes to theory on the link between such engagement and
performance (Barrick et al. 2015).
xi
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Preface
In these, and related ways, this book attends to core themes in contempor-
ary business life. It reveals and explores the tensions and dilemmas even in the
most well-intentioned of organizations. It anchors common and arguably
universal predicaments in tangible decisions relating, for example, to
extended opening hours, site closure and redundancy alongside investment
in new sites and refurbishment of some existing stock, cost-cutting, new
formats, restructuring and delayering, closures of old facilities such as distri-
bution centres and the opening of new ones, choices about employee voice
and representation, sub-contracting and off-shoring. Such decisions are the
warp and weft of managerial work. Underlying each instance and overlaying
the analysis as a whole is the fundamental question: does the JLP way repre-
sent a better way of doing business?
xii
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Acknowledgements
The nature, and we hope the virtues, of this book stem in large part from the
quality and duration of our relationship with an array of articulate and
thoughtful people across the Partnership over a number of years. Each, in
his or her different way, helped us get the story and the analysis straight about
an institution for which they invariably cared deeply. They were generous
with their time and with their efforts to help us understand the complex array
of interconnecting issues.
It has not been possible to name everyone with whom we talked and we
apologize in advance to those whose names are missing. With regard to those
who are named below, two points are important to note.
First, some of these were interviewed and consulted for what we describe in
the Research Note as the ‘business research’ phase of the work, that is, the
practical project work undertaken from 1999 to 2008 on aspects of manage-
ment and organizational development. Other names listed are the interviewees
for the ‘academic research’ project phase which took place from 2010 to 2015.
Many persons were in both camps and thus were interviewed at least twice.
The second point to note is that the job titles shown alongside names reflect
the roles played by these informants at the time we encountered them. Given the
degree of churn between posts, these designations do not necessarily reflect
the current state of play, indeed a number of those listed have since retired and
others have moved to entirely different roles, left the Partnership, or died.
Others remain in post in the roles as listed. Many, indeed most, moved
between a number of positions—for example, Andy Street, currently MD of
John Lewis, was formerly Supply Chain Director and Personnel Director at
various times during our contact with him. Many of the interviewees had joined
as graduate trainees and had worked for as many as a dozen branches and
worked in central roles. Most were highly knowledgeable about the Partnership.
Acknowledgements
xiv
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Acknowledgements
xv
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Acknowledgements
xvi
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The research underpinnings for this book are somewhat unusual. They
include, among other things, what might be termed ‘business research pro-
jects’ as well as ‘academic research projects’. The relationship between these
two is of some interest and not only for students of research methods. For this
longitudinal work programme, we brought some aspects of academic research
methodology into the business research work at the outset. Hence, for
example, when working on the initial practical, problem-solving projects,
we conducted one to one research interviews with participants using semi-
structured interviews which were digitally recorded and then transcribed. The
resulting transcripts were used for systematic data analysis. Hence, there was
no sharp divide between the methods used for each type of project—research
consultancy and academic research.
The business research was constituted by a series of empirically-based pro-
jects of an applied nature and were commissioned by a number of senior
directors in different parts of the John Lewis Partnership over a period of
years. These series of projects started in financial year 1999–2000 and con-
tinued through until 2007–2008. Some of these were in the JL department
stores, some in Waitrose, and others were at corporate cross-Partnership level.
For example, an early project in the JL department store division addressed
the roles and behaviours of branch managers (known in JL as Managing
Directors of Branch or Heads of Branch). Another project attended to the
workings of the JL Board and reviewed the constituent board members and
their roles. This work took place at a vital time when significant changes were
being forged under the leadership of Luke Mayhew, who had been brought in
with previous experience with British Airways—the classic change manage-
ment case of the era. He was described in the business press as ‘The man who
tamed the peculiar beast’ (Daily Telegraph 23 October 2003).
Other projects were undertaken for Waitrose. These included, for example, a
project on the workings of the Waitrose Board and the relations between the
work done by Directors and their direct executive reports.
A third set of projects was undertaken for the corporate level (now com-
monly known as Group). These included a study of the role of the corporate
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xviii
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xix
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xx
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Contents
8. Conclusions 182
References 205
Name Index 211
Subject Index 213
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List of Figures
List of Tables
Something is wrong with the modern corporation and the wider milieu within
which it operates. It is prone to periodic crisis and to the persistence, and even
fuelling, of extreme inequality. The nature and the sources of the problem have
been explored with increasing frequency (Appelbaum and Batt 2014; Gamble
2014; Mayer 2014; Streeck 2014; Wolf 2014). The short-termist outlooks and
behaviours of shareholders have been frequently noted (Peston 2013). Corporate
leaders feel compelled to dance to the tune of the City financiers. The time
horizons of these fund managers and their analysts are notoriously short. The
trading of stock has become de-coupled from sensible performance evaluation
of firms as electronic trading operates in microseconds based on algorithms
constructed by technical wizards—a process graphically described by Michael
Lewis in his book Flash Boys (Lewis 2014).
In a stark example of distorted ‘investment’, Lewis reports on the building of
a straight-line trench from Chicago to New York to carry a fibre optic cable
that would enable trading orders to be sent in milliseconds (less than a blink of
an eye). The only purpose was to allow renters of the line to place orders to
trade in a manner which gave them advantage over all other market traders
(Lewis 2014). To this end, the effort of thousands of people and the expend-
iture of millions of dollars were allotted. The distorted priorities indicated
by such instances suggest some fundamental problems in the workings of
the economy.
But the real source of the problem, it has been suggested, is not share-trading
per se but the structure of ownership. The holding period of shareholders has
declined in almost every country over the past half century—from an average
of eight years to about eight months (Mayer 2014). ‘Yet outside the UK, short-
termism is barely an issue elsewhere in the world, with the possible exception
of the US. Indeed, it is often difficult to find a foreign translation of the term’
(Mayer 2012). As he argues, the corporation: ‘has created more prosperity
and misery than could ever have been imagined . . . the corporation is becom-
ing a creature that threatens to consume us in its own avaricious ambitions’
OUP CORRECTED PROOF – FINAL, 27/6/2016, SPi
(Mayer 2012: 1). The corporation, especially the US/UK model, is in trouble. In
some other countries the single-minded pursuit of shareholder-value is rather
less pronounced. As Hall and Soskice (2001) point out, there are varieties of
capitalism. These are reflected in their celebrated distinction between liberal
market economies (LMEs) as found in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the USA,
and the coordinated market economies (CMEs) as found in Germany, Japan,
and Sweden. As Hall and Soskice make clear, these varied practices are embed-
ded in wider legal, social, and economic institutional contexts. But for the
UK/US contexts most especially, we need to be able to imagine (or re-imagine)
an alternative which could possibly work even within the prevailing socio-
economic institutions. In this book, through detailed analysis of the John
Lewis Partnership (JLP) we seek to suggest that the JLP may be a stronger
basis for such an imagining than has been realized. We suggest that while
JLP is frequently invoked as a model, it is often characterized as an eccentric,
niche residue, and not as a source of major challenges to the ‘truths’ of the
prevailing model. To be clear, our purpose is not to extol, eulogise, or promote
the JLP model. Rather, our mission is to subject it to detached assessment.
Along the way, we want to assess what would be involved if the type of
‘stakeholder’ model advocated by Mayer was to be more widely adopted.
At the culmination of the takeover battle of Cadbury by Kraft, the Chairman
of Cadbury observed that:
At the end of the day, there were simply not enough shareholders prepared to
take a long-term view of Cadbury and prepared to forego short-term gain for
longer term prosperity. Individuals controlling shares which they had owned for
only a few days or weeks determined the destiny of a company that had been
built over almost 200 years. (Sir Roger Carr, DG of the CBI, address to the RSA,
30 March 2010)
In most other countries, publicly listed companies are better insulated from
the effects of movements in stock prices. In the UK, companies are more
directly exposed to movements in stock markets because of features of the
ownership and control of its companies. In most other countries only a small
fraction of shares is held and traded by dispersed shareholders; a much larger
proportion is in the hands of families and companies who hold substantial
blocks of shares for long periods. Even where shares are traded, control is
frequently concentrated through allocating voting control to dominant,
long-term shareholders (Mayer 2012). In contrast, the lack of stability and
a long-term perspective in the UK firm tends towards a raft of distorted
and unhelpful behaviours. Investment for the long-term is discouraged. Lack
of investment in modern technology, in infrastructure, and in workforce
capability runs alongside cost-cutting and exposure to take-over. In recent
years, a plethora of new financial players including hedge funds, sovereign
2
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III
Enquête sur la représentation des Femmes au
Parlement
M. Thomas.
«Oui, cent fois oui, les femmes doivent voter; plus elles
prendront conscience de leur responsabilité sociale et de
l’équivalence de leurs droits et de leurs devoirs, mieux elles
contribueront à édifier la Cité future.»
M. Jénouvrier dit:
«Il est des femmes qui sont de vrais chefs de famille, qui
supportent allègrement une responsabilité qui paraîtrait lourde à
certains d’entre nous. Pourquoi les priver du droit qui appartient au
jeune homme de 21 ans.»
M. Dejeante est d’avis que dès que les femmes pourront exercer leurs
droits, leur éducation sera plus rapidement faite que celle des hommes.
Dès 1884, M. G. Roche présentant un amendement pour faire obtenir
aux commerçantes l’électorat consulaire disait:
Hubertine Auclert.
Pour être écouté des députés il faut avoir pour soi les électeurs. La
puissance de ceux qui confèrent des mandats est même pour les
mandataires qui n’en tiennent point compte, tellement grande, que les
ministres eux-mêmes font consulter, par les préfets, les électeurs sur une
réforme avant de vouloir exprimer leur opinion sur cette réforme et de faire
adopter ou repousser les projets de loi qui sont, à son sujet, présentés. A
l’exemple des maîtres du pouvoir, ces spoliées du droit politique, les
femmes, ont voulu demander aux électeurs de recommander aux députés
leurs revendications.
Des déléguées de la société «Le Suffrage des Femmes» sont allées à
la Bourse du Travail faire appuyer, par une élite électorale, cette pétition
réclamant la représentation de la nation:
Les suffragistes, aussitôt, ont été comprises par les hommes très
avertis qui constituent l’important syndicat des moyens de transports. En
dépit du manque de plumes et d’encriers, des centaines de noms et
d’adresses furent en peu de temps recueillies. Des citoyens voulaient tous
à la fois apposer leur signature sur les feuilles réclamant le vote des
femmes.
Les syndiqués qui trouvent tout naturel que les femmes qui luttent, qui
peinent, qui mangent aient les mêmes droits que les hommes, ne se sont
pas contentés d’appuyer nos revendications; ils nous ont indiqué des
voies et moyens pour faire aboutir plus vite notre campagne.
La corporation des ferblantiers a fait aux suffragistes bon accueil; le
bureau recommanda notre pétition qui fut de suite signée.
Les Français présents à la réunion des couturières et tailleurs
étrangers appuyèrent aussi de leur signature nos réclamations.
Partout on nous encouragea à persévérer, on nous invita à revenir.
Chez les syndiqués, il n’est pas nécessaire que notre cause soit
plaidée, elle est gagnée d’avance; car, les laborieux, intelligents, savent
qu’ils seront plus forts, quand leurs compagnes posséderont cet
instrument émancipateur, le bulletin de vote.
Ce sont seulement ceux que l’égoïsme aveugle qui ne voient pas que
l’asservissement de la femme arrête l’évolution des citoyens, attendu qu’à
la chaîne de la paria française est rivé le boulet qui empêche l’humanité
de s’élever.
Les hommes qui pensent et qui observent, croient qu’en annihilant les
femmes, on se prive d’un élément précieux pour la diffusion du progrès.
Les Françaises assureraient à leur pays l’aisance. En restreignant le
gaspillage des fonds publics, elles procureraient le moyen d’organiser le
travail de manière que plus aucun Français courageux ne puisse manquer
de pain.
C’est au détriment général que les gouvernants s’obstinent à tenir hors
la loi les femmes. Ils oublient qu’il faut aussi du cœur pour résoudre
certaines questions, et qu’en tout on obtiendrait plus de résultats si le
sentiment agissant de la femme s’alliait à l’indifférentisme de l’homme.
On trouve qu’il est anormal de ne point faire voter les officiers quand
les politiciens votent, n’est-ce pas encore plus anormal de ne pas faire
voter les femmes quand les hommes votent?
Tous les êtres, qu’ils soient d’un sexe ou de l’autre, étant en la société
également, doivent avoir leur part de souveraineté afin de pouvoir
pareillement s’ingénier pour se créer dans un milieu plus harmonique un
meilleur sort.
Il y a un fait important qui va, maintenant chez nous, faire envisager le
suffrage des femmes d’une tout autre manière par les députés. Jusqu’ici le
vote des femmes avait été demandé par les femmes, afin qu’elles
puissent au moyen de cet instrument d’émancipation changer leur sort;
mais voilà que le vote des femmes est aujourd’hui réclamé... par les
hommes!
Le vote des femmes est demandé par des hommes, dans leur propre
intérêt...
Des orateurs mâles disent: «Pendant que la femme ne vote pas, elle
arrête l’émancipation de l’homme... elle contraint l’homme à se
désintéresser... elle l’empêche de se syndiquer... parce que étant écartée
de tout, elle ne comprend rien. En votant, la femme s’éclairera, elle
apprendra à servir nos communs intérêts».
L’approbation d’électeurs d’élite, la façon sympathique, dont en
appuyant de leur signature notre requête électorale, ils disent: «J’en suis!»
excite l’allégresse des suffragistes. Les feuilles qu’elles présentent aux
Sociétés savantes, à l’Ecole des hautes études, dans les associations,
corporations et dans la rue même, comme à Toulouse, où l’éloquente Mlle
Arria Ly et sa mère ont recueilli quinze cents signatures.
Sur nos pétitions les noms de savants, d’artistes, de commerçants
voisinent avec ceux d’intelligents travailleurs.
Hormis les anarchistes il y a peu d’hommes hostiles au vote des
femmes. Pour beaucoup, il ne peut y avoir de masculin ni de féminin
lorsqu’il s’agit d’imposer des remaniements sociaux nécessaires. Tous
hommes et femmes doivent voter des réformes.
L’empressement des antisuffragistes à se muer en suffragistes, décèle
autant que le succès de notre pétition, les progrès accomplis dans
l’opinion par la question du vote des femmes.
Aussitôt que les députés ont commencé à s’occuper des projets de loi
sur la réforme électorale nous avons pensé qu’il était urgent d’attirer leur
attention sur les revendications des Françaises mises hors le droit
commun politique.
Le 25 octobre 1909 la Société «Le suffrage des Femmes» a envoyé à
la Chambre une délégation de cinq de ses membres pour prier M. Louis
Marin, le distingué député de Nancy, de déposer sur le bureau de la
Chambre la pétition signée par plus de trois mille personnes.
M. Louis Marin accepta de rendre à la société «Le suffrage des
Femmes» le service qu’elle demandait; mais en attendant le
renouvellement de la commission des pétitions, où il s’efforcerait de faire
introduire des députés féministes, il nous engagea à recueillir d’autres
signatures.
Trois semaines après, nous remettions à M. Louis Marin de
nombreuses nouvelles feuilles de notre pétition, qui se trouvait ainsi
couverte de plus de quatre mille signatures.
Le député de Meurthe-et-Moselle portant sous le bras, attaché par un
ruban vert, notre volumineux dossier qu’il allait déposer sur le bureau de
la Chambre, était radieux, disent des journalistes.
Motifs de la commission.