A partial partnership? The contradictions of cooperation at powerco

Abstract

This chapter examines partnership in the context of a British utility organisation which is referred to by the pseudonym “PowerCo”. The case study examined partnership over a 13-year period (2000-2013). Liberal market economies such as the UK are often believed to provide an inhospitable institutional environment for meaningful workplace partnership to fl ourish because of factors including unstable markets, weak trade unions and the absence of regulatory or state support (Hall and Soskice 2001). However, PowerCo provided an interesting contrast to these stereotypical characteristics associated with liberal market capitalism: The organisation off ered highly skilled and long-term employment in a stable market place, within a high-density trade union environment, and regulatory support for partnership working.