USC Marshall School of Business

FORBES: James O'Toole and Edward Lawler of the USC Marshall School wrote an op-ed about their recent research that questions the supposed trade-off between high wages and profitability.

Circuit City is one of many companies that have recently sought to lower labor costs to gain competitive advantage, the column stated. "Although offering minimal wages and benefits is the most common way companies try to lower their costs, our recent study of American management practices reveals that such bottom feeding may not be the most effective strategy,"

O'Toole and Lawler wrote. "In fact, low wages paradoxically generate a variety of negative employee behaviors that add to the overall cost of doing business," they added.

Companies should adopt "high-involvement" management practices that invest more into employee growth and welfare, a strategy that has proved successful for companies like Costco, they wrote.

Read the Forbes article http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2007/04/24/corporate-layoffs-costs-oped-cx_jot_0425jobs.html

Read about James O'Toole and Edward Lawler's book, The New American Workplace http://www.marshall.usc.edu/news/all-articles/new-book-workers.htm