A Necessary Evil: The Experiences of Managers Implementing Downsizing Programmes

Authors

Ernesto Noronha, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Premilla D'Cruz, Indian Institute of Management AhmedabadFollow

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study, which describes the experiences of human resource (HR) managers implementing a downsizing programme in a steel manufacturing organisation in India. Data were collected through conversational interviews. Following van Manens sententious analytic approach, the core theme of a necessary evil, emerged, which indicates that while participants were pained by their task of having to terminate workers and deprive them of their livelihood, they believed that they had no choice in the matter if they had to ensure the competitive position of the organisation and their own survival as employees. The findings of the inquiry provide insights into a virtually unstudied area and raise questions about the role of HR managers in contemporary organisations.

Keywords

Downsizing, Implementors, Dilemmas, and Coping

Publication Date

3-1-2006

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2006.1686

Recommended APA Citation

Noronha, E., & D'Cruz, P. (2006). A Necessary Evil: The Experiences of Managers Implementing Downsizing Programmes. The Qualitative Report, 11(1), 88-112. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2006.1686