The report entitled "Employer Effects on Intraorganizational Career Mobility: Is There a Role for Work Practices?" published by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, looking at the organizational impact of various work practices, developed some findings that you may find unexpected:
Work practices, in the context of this study, prsented at the 2007 LERA conference in Chicago by Rocio Bonet, of the University of Pennsylvania, are said to have various roles in wage growth and promotion according to employers studied:
- Self-Managed: Positive on promotions and wage growth
- Job Rotation: Positive on wage growth and no effect on promotions
- Training: Mixed on promotions and no effect on wage growth
- Job rotation implemented together with self-managed teams positive in wage growth and promotions.
The study looked at innovative work practices that have been adopted by
American Companies (e.g.: Teamwork, Problem-Solving Teams, Information Sharing, Job Rotation, New Training…).
The adoption of such practices are considered important elements in the transformation on American Workplace, ansd enable the greater degree of flexibility in work organization, broadening and enrichment of jobs as well as more authority and decision making power to lower level employees
What I found particularly fascinating was the element "Mixed on promotions and no effect on wage growth"
Makes one wonder if this is in fact accurate (and I'm not suggesting that this study tells the whole story), if career mobility within an organization positively impacted, why would employers want to invest in training?
