Strategic Redundancy Implementation

1 The redundancy phenomenon

DOI: 10.4324/9781003030416-2

This chapter explores the main definitions of redundancy, including the terms redundancy, restructuring, downsizing, retrenchment, rightsizing and reengineering. This is followed by a discussion covering the drivers of redundancies, including external, internal, social and miscellaneous factors.

Introduction to the redundancy phenomenon

Redundancy is not a new phenomenon; however, it should be recognised that the scope and pace of redundancies have accelerated in recent years (Baruch and Hind, 1999). The management strategy of restructuring, often resulting in redundancies, has been used globally for more than two decades (Williams, 2004, Gandolfi, 2009) and more frequently deployed ...