J. Eng. Technol. Manage. 18 (2001) 91–96 Book reviews Manufacturing Advantage: Why High-Performance Work Systems Pay Off Eileen Appelbaum, Thomas Bailey, Peter Berg, and Arne L. Kalleberg, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 2000, 258 pp. In this age of workplace change, there is renewed interest in understanding how spe- cific organizational and human resource practices shape both employee and organizational outcomes. Moreover, while the ‘New Economy’ dominates the popular press, traditional manufacturing remains a dominant force in shaping the US economy. This book expands our understanding of this critical sector and provides important insight into the processes through which organizational practices have helped revitalize manufacturing in the US. While many books have examined the historical experiments with job design, this book expands our understanding of high performance systems in three important ways. First, it examines multiple firms in three distinct areas of manufacturing including steel, apparel, and medical electronic equipment. By selecting specific industries for greater scrutiny, the authors provide in depth knowledge of the challenges facing an industry as well as an un- derstanding of how these systems work in distinct contexts. Second, the authors provide a clear framework through which we can understand high performance systems and how they shape outcomes. This framework provides a mechanism for understanding how different practices can shape outcomes across settings. Third, this book is one of the first efforts to examine the effects of high performance work systems on employee as well as organiza- tional outcomes. This focus on employee outcomes is critical if we are to understand the long-term viability of high performance systems in American manufacturing. The book contains a preface and 11 chapters. The preface outlines the three industries studied including apparel, steel, and medical electronic instruments and imaging. In all, the researchers examine the practices and outcomes in nearly 40 plants across these three settings. Chapter 1 begins by highlighting the continued strategic role of manufacturing in the American economy as the fuel for productivity growth. In Chapter 2, the authors provide their framework for understanding the operation and outcomes of high performance systems. Overall, improvement in organizational perfor- mance arises through the exertion of effective discretionary effort by employees. Based upon Bailey’s research, the development of effective discretionary effort requires that (1) employees want to put forth discretionary effort through specific rewards or commitment to organizational objectives; (2) employees have the necessary skills to make their effort meaningful; and (3) employers have provided employees with the opportunity to participate in substantive shop-floor decisions through the way that work is organized. By focusing on 0923-4748/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.