PRODUCTIVE RESTRUCTURING AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IN AN ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC COMPANY OF SANTA CATARINA

Abstract

This article results from a case study conducted in a large sized company of the electro-electronic sector in Santa Catarina, whose aim was to understand how the productive restructuring impacted the personnel management techniques. The subjects were 5 managers and 13 workers in general. The data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and documental sources and analyzed in the light of the relevant literature. The results indicated that the productive restructuring of work, both the personnel management-related and the technological innovation-related changes, produced different perceptions among managers and workers in general. The managers adopted new mechanisms of social relations in their work, based on consensus, responsibility, and reciprocity. By doing so they achieved good results concerning the actions developed towards the workers in general. Competitiveness and creativity were present in both groups, which differed regarding their personal interests. The workers in general sought for job stability, best opportunities and salaries, whereas the managers’ aim was increasing productivity, replacing workers with machines, and reducing time and movements.