This study examines management and organizational models, specifically the Healthy Organization and High-Performing Workplace (HPW) models. Because a HPW can also be a Healthy Organization, the models are joined to create the Healthy High-Performing Workplace (HHPW) model. The experience of members within a particular organization, known herein as Company X, is examined. The study addresses the questions: does Company X display HHPW qualities? If Company X does display HHPW qualities, does it always exercise HHPW practices? Finally, what does this mean in terms of the workforce? Organizational culture theory is used to explain how expectations, norms, behaviours, and values are constructed and transmitted, and how organizational structures influence the environment and the employee experience. Data consists of interviews (n=12) and secondary sources. The findings support that Company X displays HHPW characteristics. However, when project deadlines are near or overdue and profit is at risk, certain HHPW practices are ignored.

The topic of high performance workplace practices and their impact on organizational performance has been extensively researched in US and UK. Increasingly evidence with regard to diffusion of high performance workplace practices is emerging from fast developing Asian economies. However, very little is known about the state of diffusion of high performance workplace practices in Pakistan, a South Asian economy on route to industrialization. This study attempts to explore the diffusion of high performance workplace practices among the multinational and local firms in the important industrial sectors of banking, information technology and pharmaceutical in Pakistan that are characterized by high level of inward foreign direct investment. Recently the Pakistani Government has passed laws to encourage greater use of HPWS practices amongst domestic firms. This study compares the prevalence of HPWS practices in domestic firms to that in multinationals. MNCs are chosen as a competitor because they have been seen as being at forefront of HPWS use. First of all, the study explored an overall diffusion of high performance workplace practices in Pakistan and determined the state of differences with regard to diffusion of the practices between the establishments of multinational and local firms. Secondly, the study further explored the differences by taking into account the role of control variables such as age, size, percentage of non-managerial employees and nature of business at the establishment. The most important argument underpinning the high performance paradigm is that practices have substantial impact on human resource and performance outcomes of a firm. Thus the third objective of the study was to test and report the association of individual practices with various performance outcomes for a sample of local firms in Pakistan. The study observed whether such claims are valid for the local Pakistani establishments that implement such practices in hope of achieving better performance outcomes. The study found that a number of practices had a consistent and significant association with various performance outcomes across the industrial sectors in Pakistan. The results of the study suggest that latest innovations in human resource management in advanced industrial economies have fast spread among establishments in Pakistan. Moreover the results also suggest that arguments of high performance theory, in particular the universalistic/ best practice model hold ground when it comes to the diffusion of such practices in developing economies such as Pakistan with some caveats.

This dissertation tries to gain insight on the possible impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) in economic and social relationships. Can we really talk about a revolution?. It is probably too early to conclude so. In any case, the social impact of ICT seems evident: the daily life of most individuals, firms and public administrations in developed countries is nowadays linked to new technologies. Regarding their economic impact, this dissertation has investigated the role played by ICT in explaining some of the stylized facts that have characterized European economies over the last 25 years. Using Spanish data, chapter 1 shows that capital accumulation, and especially ICT introduction over the last 20 years, has led firms to internally reorganize themselves. Furthermore, the implemented organizational changes have been skill-biased and have, thus, stimulated the demand for high-skilled workers. Based on these results, in chapter 2 an inter-temporal general equilibrium model endogenizing the capital-skill complementarity relationship has been developed. The model distinguishes between two types of jobs, complex and simple, and two types of workers, high- and low-skilled. Complex jobs can only be occupied by high-skilled while simple jobs can be filled by both, high- and low-skilled workers. High-skilled workers in simple jobs continue to search for a job in the complex segment (on-the-job search). Matching processes are represented by matching functions à la Pissarides. Workers search intensities are endogenous. Calibrated on the Belgian economy, the model is able to reproduce the observed increase in unemployment rates and relative wage rigidity. Chapter 3 extends this theoretical setup to an endogenous growth framework, where embodied and disembodied technological progress are differentiated and endogenized through a learning-by-doing process based on capital accumulation. The new model also provides a realistic representation of the labor market and it considers growth issues. Chapter 4 analyzes the effects of technological and organizational changes within firms on the turnover of different professional categories. Empirical results, based on a unique French data set, suggest that ICT introduction increases labor flows of manual workers and employees, whereas most of the new workplace organizational practices raise the turnover of managers. / Cette dissertation cherche à déterminer le possible impact des nouvelles technologies de l'information et la communication (TIC) sur les relations économiques et sociales. Est-ce que c'est correct de parler d'une révolution ? Il est sûrement trop tôt pour en conclure. Pourtant l'impact social des TIC semble évident : la vie quotidienne des ménages, entreprises et administrations publiques dans les pays développés est aujourd'hui liée aux nouvelles technologies. Concernant son impact économique, cette dissertation a cherché à signaler leur rôle dans les faits stylisés qui ont caractérisé l'évolution des économies européennes sur les 30 dernières années. En se servant des données espagnols, le chapitre 1 montre que, sur les 20 dernières années, l'accumulation de capital, particulièrement de TIC, a mené aux entreprises a se réorganiser internement. D'ailleurs, ces changements organisationnels ont été biaisés en faveur des travailleurs qualifiés dont la demande s'est vue stimulée. En se basant sur ces résultats, le chapitre 2 développe un modèle inter-temporaire d'équilibre général endogéneisant la relation de complémentarité entre capital et travail qualifié. Le modèle distingue entre deux types de postes de travail, complexes et simple, et deux types de travailleurs, qualifiés et non qualifiés. Les postes de travail complexe peuvent être occupés seulement par les travailleurs qualifiés alors que les postes simples peuvent être occupés par les deux types de travailleurs. Les travailleurs qualifiés en postes simples continuent à chercher du travail dans le marché complexe pendant leur temps libre. Le procès de matching est représenté par des fonctions de matching à la Pissarides. Les intensités de recherche de l'emploi sont endogènes. Les modèle, calibré sur l'économie belge, reproduit de façon satisfaisante l'augmentation du chômage et la stabilité des salaires relatifs observés en Belgique pendant les dernières décades. Le chapitre 3 étend ce cadre théorique à un modèle de croissance endogène où le progrès technologique incorporé et désincorporé sont différenciés et endogèneisés à travers d'un procès de learning-by-doing fondé sur l'accumulation du capital. Le nouveau modèle fourni une représentation réaliste du marché de travail et il considère en même temps le sujet de la croissance. Le chapitre 4 analyse les effets des changements technologiques et organisationnels au sein des firmes sur les flux de travail de différentes catégories professionnelles. Les résultats empiriques, obtenus à partir d'une base de données française, suggèrent que l'introduction des TIC augmente les flux de travail des travailleurs manuels et les employés, alors que la plupart des nouvelles pratiques organisationnelles stimulent les flux de travail des cadres.