Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of non-violent protest (satyagraha) in a multinational automobile plant in India that has suffered from considerable employee relations problems. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a case study of a Japanese-owned company using...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Emerald
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75012 |
| _version_ | 1848763413456486400 |
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| author | Kunju Kunju Mathew, Sagi Jones, Robert |
| author_facet | Kunju Kunju Mathew, Sagi Jones, Robert |
| author_sort | Kunju Kunju Mathew, Sagi |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of non-violent protest (satyagraha) in a multinational automobile plant in India that has suffered from considerable employee relations problems.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a case study of a Japanese-owned company using data obtained from 30 personal interviews and from internet media sources.
Findings – It is found that workers initially pursued their protests through satyagraha-style methods before taking on a more violent posture when company management refused to accept any notion of jointly seeking a new harmony. The reasons for these developments are explored.
Practical implications – The paper has implications for the manner in which scholars and practitioners view the respective roles, significance, and management of satyagraha and non-satyagraha protest in Indian companies.
Originality/value – The importance of satyagraha in Indian employee relations is under-researched in comparison with other factors, and is especially significant for culturally-unaware multinational companies in successfully understanding and managing protest in the workplace context. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:03:04Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-75012 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:03:04Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Emerald |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-750122019-03-11T08:50:12Z Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India Kunju Kunju Mathew, Sagi Jones, Robert India Employee Relations Multinational Companies Automobile Industry Protest Satyagraha Toyota Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of non-violent protest (satyagraha) in a multinational automobile plant in India that has suffered from considerable employee relations problems. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a case study of a Japanese-owned company using data obtained from 30 personal interviews and from internet media sources. Findings – It is found that workers initially pursued their protests through satyagraha-style methods before taking on a more violent posture when company management refused to accept any notion of jointly seeking a new harmony. The reasons for these developments are explored. Practical implications – The paper has implications for the manner in which scholars and practitioners view the respective roles, significance, and management of satyagraha and non-satyagraha protest in Indian companies. Originality/value – The importance of satyagraha in Indian employee relations is under-researched in comparison with other factors, and is especially significant for culturally-unaware multinational companies in successfully understanding and managing protest in the workplace context. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75012 10.1108/01425451211248550 English Emerald restricted |
| spellingShingle | India Employee Relations Multinational Companies Automobile Industry Protest Satyagraha Toyota Kunju Kunju Mathew, Sagi Jones, Robert Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title | Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title_full | Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title_fullStr | Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title_short | Satyagraha and employee relations: Lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in India |
| title_sort | satyagraha and employee relations: lessons from a multinational automobile transplant in india |
| topic | India Employee Relations Multinational Companies Automobile Industry Protest Satyagraha Toyota |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75012 |