Bargaining structure and management control of industrial relations

Bargaining structure has traditionally been at the centre of Industrial Relations research, and increasingly attention is being given to the influences upon it. This study examines management's attempts to regulate union behaviour in four organisations having different bargaining structures. These are treated as case studies and using qualitative data they are compared to study three relationships: between management structure and bargaining structure; between bargaining structure and union behaviour; and between situational determinants and bargaining structure. The background to the thesis is outlined in Part I. This introduces the study, des0ribes the research method, and then applies some of the research data available to previous hypotheses. A number of tentative proposals are put forward regarding bargaining structure and the influences upon it which are pursued in Part III. The four case studies are systematically analysed in the following four chapters. For each collective bargaining in practice is outlined followed by an analysis of managerial attempts to regulate this. Part III draws on this raw data and analyses managerial involvement in Industrial Relations in two stages. Initially a framework for the study of managerial involvement is developed which puts bargaining structure in its context. Secondly using an established criterion the effectiveness of management control over union activity is examined. Finally the implications of the analysis for management, trade unions, and the reform of Industrial Relations are pursued. A number of proposals are put forward in this thesis. First the level of bargaining cannot be studied in isolation, but must be placed in the context of the other dimensions of bargaining structure. Second, bargaining structure is influenced by constraints both internal and external to the organisation, yet management appear to have a good deal of discretion in choosing a particular structure. Third, bargaining structure must be placed within the context of the control systems used by management, many of which may not immediately be concerned with Industrial Relations. Finally, to understand managerial control over union activity we must look not only at the control systems but also the legitimacy of managerial authority. Put together these proposals contribute to our understanding of likely future changes in bargaining structure, and the shape possible reforms might take

Who does what in enabling ambidexterity? Individual Actions and HRM practices

In this paper, we explain how ambidexterity, the simultaneous pursuit of exploration and exploitation, is enabled at the individual level of analysis. Research on ambidexterity has been dominated by theoretical approaches focusing on the organisational level; however, we know little about how ambidexterity is enacted by employees. There is also limited work on the multilevel aspects of individual employee actions, for example, particular roles and specifically the level of seniority of the role. We address these gaps by asking: Which individual actions are undertaken by employees at particular levels of seniority in the organization to enable ambidexterity? In order to answer this question we draw on previous research to construct reliable measures of the individual actions that enable ambidexterity. The hypothesized mediation effect of these individual actions is confirmed on the basis of survey data from 212 employees from a UK-based Professional Service Firm. The findings indicate that senior employees are more likely to use ‘integration’, ‘role expansion’ and ‘tone setting’, whilst employees with specialist knowledge about their clients use ‘gap filling’ to enable ambidexterity. Finally, we draw together these findings with 35 interviews conducted to present the HRM practices which support ambidexterity

Why should I share my knowledge? A multiple foci of commitment perspective

Belgium Herbarium image of Meise Botanic Garden

Engaged and committed? The relationship between work engagement and commitment in Professional Service Firms

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