Results


Descriptive statistics of the variables studied are first presented. The results of the regression analysis exploring the impact on the level of training of the use of flexible workers and the level of ICT adoption is then evaluated.

ICT Adoption, Training, Use of Flexible Workers

The level of adoption of ICT by the firms of our sample is summarized in Diagram 1. As it is shown, 68% of the firms surveyed make high use of information technologies such as e-mail and LAN. Nearly 42% of the sample consider themselves as having a high level of adoption of computer-aided production techniques, whereas 43% of the firms make high use of administrative-based techniques such as EDI and MRP. It seems that Greek firms have recognized the necessity of information and communication technology.

click to expand
Diagram 1: Level of adoption of ICT

Concerning training, 95% of the firms surveyed had training plans and policies in total. In 71% of them, training plans were formal, offered through organized seminars, and were seen to reflect the future requirements of the organization. Almost all firms were found to offer training through colleagues and managers, whereas only 5% of the firms showed no effort for training. It seems that Greek managers view training as an investment in their organization's future.

Finally, as far as the use of flexible staffing arrangements is concerned, almost all responding organizations engage workers on some form of numerically flexible basis. The most common form of flexibility is the use of independent contractors followed by the use of temporaries and subcontractors. From the 75 firms and the 450 job categories of the sample, 84% of the firms and 36% of the job categories recourse to independent contractors. At the same time, 57% of the firms and 31% of the job categories surveyed use temporary workers. Finally, 49% of the firms and 23% of the job categories examined use subcontractors. However this ranking changes at the individual level. Overall, 14.5% of the total labor force of the firms examined are temporaries, 2.9% are independent contractors, and 7.9% are subcontractors.

An interesting finding concerning the use of flexible workers is coming from the visualization of Diagram 2. As observed, temporary workers are mostly used for the realization of well-defined and often elementary tasks. Their utilization mostly concerns workers' jobs. High-skilled employees' job groups with high educational levels were found to be the ones that resort to the use of independent contractors. Subcontractors finally are mostly used for the accomplishment of peripheral tasks (auxiliary personnel).

click to expand
Diagram 2: Use of Flexible Workers per Job Category

Regression Analysis on the Level of Training

Appendix A.2 reports the means, standard deviations, and correlations among the study variables in the regression model. Table 1 presents the results, concerning the variables of the regression, predicting the level of training in a job category level.

Table 1: Regression on the Level of Training

Regression Coefficients

Intercept

0.869[***]

ICT

0.085[**]

Flexible employment arrangements

Independent contractors

0.20[**]

Temporaries

-0.78[***]

Subcontractors

015

Job category

Engineers

1.38[***]

Financial personnel

0.95[***]

Technologists

1.83[***]

Administrative personnel

2.19[***]

Workers

1.66[***]

Number of observations, N=

450

R2

0.541

* significant at 0.05

[***]significant at 0.001;

[**]significant at 0.01;

As observed, there is a positive relationship between all job groups and training (except auxiliary personnel). Contrary to previous findings (Arulampalam, 1998), professional and managerial individuals with high educational qualifications, but also workers with low educational qualifications, receive an increased level of training. This finding is of particular interest because it implies that Greek firms have realized the necessity for upskilling in order to survive and outperform in the IS.

The level of ICT adoption has a significant positive relationship with the level of training offered. Firms making increased use of ICT are more likely to invest in employees' training in order to enhance worker skills and enrich job design. This finding is consistent with previous findings (Gallie, White, Cheng, & Tomlinson, 1998; Grimshaw et al., 1999).

We now consider the impact on training of flexible employment arrangements. The first variable under this heading is 'independent contractors', which is found to have a significant positive relationship with the level of training. Managers are likely to invest in work-related training of self-employed independent contractors, in order to adjust their competencies in a firm's needs. The second variable, proxying, a flexible form of employment, is 'temporaries'. This variable was found to have a negative relationship with the level of training. Temporaries (usually low-skilled workers) are less likely to receive training because of the expected post-training period over which the investment can be amortized. This result strengthens the findings of previous researches (Pfeffer & Cohen, 1984; Wholey, 1985; Davis Blake & Uzzi, 1993). The third variable measuring flexible employment is 'subcontractors' and is found not to have a significant relationship with the level of training.




Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era
Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era
ISBN: 1591402670
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 198

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net