Challenging collectivist traditions: individualism and the management of industrial relations in greenfield sites

Abstract

This paper explores developments in industrial relations and Human Resource Management (HRM) in newly established ("greenfield") companies in the Republic of Ireland as a means of informing the debate on changing patterns of industrial relations. In particular, the paper focuses on the issue of individualism as a key dimension of management approaches to industrial relations. It is based on an empirical study of management approaches to industrial relations using a data set of new firms established in Ireland in the period 1987-1992.