Restructuring and Redundancy: When is Downsizing not the right strategy?

 

At first glance, corporate downsizing could appear to be a logical pathway to improved profitability during poor economic conditions. Dr Wayne Casio in his 2002 book, “Responsible Restructuring” cites research which offers some surprising results to the contrary. Drawn from an 18-year study of leading companies, this research indicates that the most  profitable companies were those where employee turnover remained less than 5% in any particular year and those which were on a path of growth. In stark contrast, organisations that were downsizing appeared at the bottom of the profitability bucket. So, downsizing as a strategy in isolation may not yield the profitability outcomes businesses may hope for.

Downsizing may not be the right strategy if, on balance, the negative consequences of employee redundancy outweigh the short term benefits as the following examples illustrate: Read more