All Benchmarkers Now? Benchmarking and the 'Europeanisation' of Industrial Relations

Abstract

Rather than legal enactment and collective bargaining being the main engines of the 'Europeanisation' of industrial relations, benchmarking and 'soft' forms of regulation are increasingly to the fore. This article traces the origins of benchmarking from management tool to regulatory instrument, in particular analysing its functioning at the levels of the Euro-company, Euro-sector and the Community itself. Without better processes, better data and better implementation, the paper concludes, benchmarking is likely to prove no more effective a means of co-ordination than the traditional Community method.