Unions and industrial improvement projects: Building a common momentum

2018

The purpose of this article is to define the potential role unions can play in a general quest for improved practice in an industrial company. Workplace innovation (WPI) is one example of such a measure. Lean is another. The article outlines important elements when implementing improvement tools like Workplace Innovation and Lean practice. The efforts are focused at company level, and experiences from a Norwegian industrial company highlight the areas of importance. The amplifying role a union can play in an improvement process is discussed, and motives and processes are clarified, in order to show the role of unions in a broader sense. The “Nordic” tradition of organising work-life frames …