There is evidence to suggest that some Irish organizations are embracing the concepts of participation, involvement and teamworking while simultaneously tightening their command and control structures. There are indications also that quality initiatives are changing the role of the human resource function within organizations. Those which have moved from traditional personnel approaches are rewarded with more involvement in strategic decision making. An investigation into the differences found between manufacturing and service sector companies in their evaluation of the human resource implications of quality initiatives has found that similarities abound while differences are minor. This finding raises the issue of whether the two very separate literatures and research methodologies which have developed need to be integrated into one more comprehensive approach to managing organizations.