Workers' experiences of skill, training and participation in lean and high performance workplaces in Britain and Italy

Managerial practices at workplace level in Britain and Italy in the automobile and aerospace industries are examined with regard to their impact on employees' perceptions of skill, training and their relationship to participation. Can it be argued that employee experiences of High Performance Work, in contrast to lean-working,satisfy aspirations for greater employee influence? What is the relationship between perceptions of skill and training trajectories and influence? This is significant because there has been relatively little research on HPW and employees' experiences from an international comparative perspective. Relatedly, do employee experiences of these managerial practices indicate discernable paradigmatic differences in the supposedly contrasting forms of employment relationship advanced by advocates of HPW.