Narratives and metaphor - Age and Death - Rebecka Arman - GUL
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Narratives and
metaphor – Age and Death
Rebecka Arman
rebecka.arman@handels.gu.se
Narrative structure Plot: Going from… to…. Protagonist Villain Supporting roles Causal explanations Attribution of responsibility Content: Images, concepts, catch phrases
Age (management)
Demographic changes 2018-10-09
Consequences National: Dependancy ratio increase Lack of labour Organizational: Many will retire within the next 5-10 years Lack of (qualified) labour Knowledge retention?
Chains of narratives
Institutional
meta-narratives Organizational (Individual’s
(national stake- narratives narratives)
holders)Narratives about aging workers • Retirement: the golden years, a well earned right, freedom • Tradition of early retirement – competence shift • Productive aging: Silver economy, health as status marker • Neo-liberal individualisation – manage your ageing well and do well
Narratives cntd Organizations as vampires What is the ideal worker age? Age= competence? The business case
Societal level of institutional meta-narratives
Narrative System efficiency Human values
dimension
Plot From older workers being a From statutory retirement to a
burden to becoming a resource choice to extend
Protagonist The welfare system The (older) individual
Villain Social partners (individuals) Employers
Supporting Policy-makers Policy-makers (and the social
roles partners)
Causal factors Demography, incentives and Discrimination, poor work
regulation environment, regulation
Attribution of Policy, collective agreements Society, policy-makers,
responsibility and individuals employers and individuals
Content Dependency ratio and efficient Structures that cause or
use of human capital hamper discrimination and
coercionOrganizational narration
Narrative Operational efficiency – the Human values
dimension business case
Plot From older workers as a From age discrimination to
problem, to keeping and individuals who age differently
developing selected employees
Protagonist Employer Older workers
Villain Technological developments Irresponsible employers
Supporting roles HR, consultancy firms and Managers, HR, unions and
regulation regulation
Causal factors Rationalizations, early Societal norms, individuals
retirement norms, lack of maintaining their own workability
skilled labour
Attribution of Labour market, economic Management
responsibility fluctuations and employees
Keeping valuable competencies Tacit knowledge, work
Content through selective “knowledge environment and employee
transfer” or delaying retirement developmentOrganizational death
HR(M)
Traditional focus:
• Recruitment
• Development and training
• Rewards
• Health/Work environment
• Assumptions:
• Continuity, development, future oriented
• Continuous employment relationship
• Focus on ”salubrity”, eternal life
2018-10-09But HR also includes…
Redundancies and restructuring:
Lay-offs, dismissals, down-sizing
Closures, terminating contracts
Support for job-transition
Assumptions: Tabu, like biological death
Hidden and “dark side of HR”?
Problem: One-sided salubrity-focus leads to
postponement and unprepared?
2018-10-09 Rebecka ArmanOrganizational death
Marks & VanSteenkiste (2008):
”Which planned interventions are most helpful in
preparing employees for the death of their current
employer and prepare for life afterward?” (p. 822)
Recomendations:
E.g. ”Find ways to have some fun along the way and
make every day important and productive as
organizational death approaches. Frame organizational
death as an opportunity to make a difference, show
your character, and contribute to the value of the HR-
function.” (p. 825)
2018-10-09End of life metaphor – Palliation model used in HR-practice (From Kübler Ross, 1969)
Palliativ care – medical origin
Balfour Mount coined the term around 1973: new program in
Montreal, modeled on St. Christopher's Hospice
Means "to cloak”
Relieve and soothe dying patients = symptom control
Not starting or continuing painful treatments that are
aimed to cure
Quality of life
”Comprehensive care”: physical, psychological, social and
spiritual
• “Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.” Hippocrates
2018-10-09The closing of a packaging
plant – working until the end
Rebecka Arman &
Ola BergströmThe message from top-management –
palliative HR
“The Company has a history of dealing with its employees in a
respectful way which we will also do during this process
We have a great understanding that this decision creates huge
disappointment, sadness and anxiety
Although it is a long time until this decision is implemented, we want to be
honest and tell you how things are
At the beginning of next year, we will present a detailed program for how
we will handle future redundancy and the support (besides occupational
health) we will be able to offer along the way
We have initiated discussions with the unions and we will be working
closely with them concerning this
During this period, we depend on you and we will do what we can to
make you feel as well treated as possible” (Source: internal
document)
2018-10-09 Rebecka ArmanMarch 2009 – ”Supportpackage”
Competence development Work environment
• Individual career conversations and • Health promotion activities
coaching • Wellbeing program for belonging
• Individually tailored development • Support to managers and workers
program in change
• Goal and development appraisals • Some slack - overstaffing
• Possibility to do courses during
work time
• Continued organisational
development Ending
• Ambition to have early
retirement, according to
current agreements
Compensation • Ambition to have work free
• Regular pay and bonus- lay-off time
system
+ The possibility to apply for jobs within the company at other sitesThe long death process
Announcement: Shock for many
First HR-package rejected – focus on education and comfort,
wellbeing
Severance pay negotiated
Renewed negotiations 1 year before closing
”Retention bonus” for those who stayed until the end
and if monthly targets were met
In the end: closed production lines and factory survived
nearly a year longer than predicted
About 50% found new jobs within a year of the official closing
dateFunctioning well until the end – HR
palliation
Work-environment and health focus:
“Because we wanted the employees to feel good
during this journey. We had not specified exactly
what they would get here, but we talked about
that we could bring in a health coach working
part time or something similar. (HR [in: 20])”
2018-10-09Employee perspective – murder, ritual
killing or not enough morphine?
- It is a management decision, not inevitable
- Previous pre-negotiated packages for selective
dismissals were used as comparison – Anger,
negotiating
Us and them:
“Headquarters” vs distant, small factory
Production vs R&D – why me?
Rebecka Arman & Ola Bergström –
2018-10-09
Palliativ HRThree different metaphors
Terminal
Sacrificial
illness,
killing
palliation
- MurderAlternative metaphors? 1. Divorce 2. Skulpting or fitness
Summary The power of metaphor and narrative is in choosing or becoming aware of which narrative and metaphor(s) that is being used, or which mixture of (incogruent?) metaphors/narratives. We need to realize that there are always several possible narratives and thus be careful about who we make protagonist, villain, and how our metaphors and narratives attribute responsibility and legitimacy
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