...employment relations Question: Carefully define the pluralist perspective of employment relations and show how it differs from other frames of reference. What are the limits of the pluralist acceptance of different stakeholder interests at work. When, within the pluralist perspective is conflict acceptable? The topic of industrial relations generally deals with the relationships encountered by the workforce in their working lives and can equally be contributed to and studied by economists, lawyers, sociologists, and psychologists, to name but a few. The capacity of the topic spans from the individual in relation to the organisation through to the shop floor, all the way to national and international bodies. Approaches used to define the subject matter of Industrial relations are: Industrial-based definitions, social psychology-based definitions, class-based definitions, human resource management definitions and employment relations. Industrial relations are an ever growing topic and will be continually studied by scholars to further gain in-depth knowledge to natural behaviours of the modern workplace, as advantages of a harmonious working environment is considered the holy grail of globalisation. Although there is a vast array of conceptual approaches to industrial relations, in this essay I will analyse the differences with the frames of reference most commonly known as unitarism, pluralism, and marxism. Before which I will carefully discuss in depth the pluralist approach, to...
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...Changing Background 4 1.1 Unitary and Pluralistic frames of Reference 4 1.2 Changes in Trade Unionism Have Affected Employee Relations 6 1.3 Role of Main Players in Employee Relations 8 2.0 Understanding the Nature of industrial Conflict and Its Resolution 10 2.1 The Procedures an Organization should follow in dealing with Conflicts 10 2.2 The key features of employee Relation in a Selected Conflict Situation: 12 2.3 Effectiveness of procedures used in a selected conflict situation 14 LO3 Understanding collective bargaining and negotiation processes 15 3.1 The role of negotiation in collective bargaining 15 3.2 The impact of negotiation strategy for a given situation 17 Win-Win Strategy 17 Win-Lose Strategy 17 LO 4 : Understanding the concept of employee participation and involvement 20 4.1 The influence of the EU on industrial democracy in the UK 20 4.2 Comparing of the methods used to gain employee participation and involvement in the decision making process 23 4.3 The impact of human resource management on employee relations 24 Conclusion 26 References & Bibliography 27 Introduction The Purpose of this assignment to acquire knowledge and development of skills about employee Relations (Relations between an employer and a collective workforce, typically through a recognized union), its nature, historical background, types, and European Union roles in its development. It also encompasses the industrial conflicts such as strike, lock out etc. and the procedure for...
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...#489 CONFLICT-MANAGEMENT STYLE SURVEY Marc Robert Because people’s rational responses are usually short-circuited by the stress of the moment, behavior in complex interpersonal and intergroup confrontations is difficult—if not impossible—to predict. Self-help formulas that promise to make people more assertive or effective in dealing with conflict in their lives will not work if they do not fit the “style” of the person using them. Accepting suggestions for handling conflict before increasing personal awareness and self-knowledge is like buying mail-order clothes. The more one learns about how he or she might react, the greater chance of selecting an appropriate course of action. Each person must know his or her own strengths, weaknesses, natural inclinations, and preferences, because in conflict these positions tend to become even more rigid and fixed and to inhibit a satisfactory resolution. Unfortunately, such self-knowledge does not come easily. True self-knowledge can only be gained by actively seeking out information about oneself and then acting on it in the next situation, asking for feedback, and then trying again. Self-awareness can be achieved through one or more of the following methods: Intrapersonal Awareness. Listening to our internal dialogue, being aware of our true feelings, and checking out our physical reactions at the time of conflict can be eye opening. Observation of Others’ Reactions. Being aware of subtle verbal and physical cues that...
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... The program provides a contract that provides specifics on salary, working hours, and benefits, to include sick days and personal holidays. Cathy travels to Japan after being accepted and discovers that she will be working with Mark, also from Canada, Andrea, and American, and Suzanne, from Great Britain. However, she is made aware of cultural differences very quickly because the Japanese people voluntarily work long hours without pay, to include working on weekends. Moreover, Mr. Higashi, the head coordinator of the program frequently insists that Kelly and her co-workers take part of Japanese cultural events and they are resentful because they feel that Mr. Higashi is trying to make them conform. In addition to the cultural conflicts, Kelly and her peers are also disliked by the Japanese workers because they believe that everyone should show dedication to their jobs by working long hours without pay. Needless to say, the foreigners do not agree and are committed to honoring what’s contained in their contracts only. Things begin to go awry when Kelly calls out sick while experiencing flu-like symptoms. Mr. Higashi responds and tells her that she must bring in a doctor’s note that attests to her sickness upon return and this irritates her but she complies. Ironically, Mark and Suzanne also call out sick on this day and Mr. Higashi becomes very suspicious and believes that there may be a conspiracy to miss work. Upon return, Kelly presents her note and is approached...
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... When FreightQ restructured six months later, PT became part of the Strategy and Business Development (S&BD) division. Other important changes for this analysis are: * Jimmy James, General Manager of NCS was appointed Vice President of Business Development within S&BD. * Mandy Marcus, the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the old Coal Division left FreightQ. * Paul Patrick, the Group General Manager for National Capital Planning and Programs became the Vice President for Maintenance. When PT was formed I was appointed as the Engineering Services Lead within the project. I stayed with the project for a period of twelve months, six months either side the re-structure. FOUR FRAME ANALYSIS STRUCTURAL FRAME Analysis The previous organisational structure divided labor according to products transported. The structure relied on lateral forms of coordination between divisions. The largest of the divisions received functional support from a separate, dedicated division;...
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...Political Frame: Intro to frame: The political frame assumes that competition for scarce resources creates an emphasis on power, conflict, and organizational politics. (Roddy 2010) subordinates contesting decisions. Shafritz, Ott, and Jang (2005) offer a definition of power: “Power is the ability to get things done the way one wants them done; it is the latent ability to influence people” (p. 284). There are two basic benefits to understanding organizations through this definition. First, this definition emphasizes the relativity of power. Second, it reminds the reader that conflict and use of power are often not about outcomes, but rather methods, means, and approaches (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005). {Roddy:2010th} organizations are redefined as “complex systems of individuals and coalitions, each having its own interests, beliefs, values, preferences, perspectives, and perceptions” (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005, p. 283). {Roddy:2010th} The political frame is rooted in the power and politics organizational theory which describes organizations as places where power is exercised in the allocation of scarce resources (Durocher, 1996). The source of this power is found through authority, expertise, controlling rewards, and personal power or characteristics (such as charisma, intelligence, communications skills, etc.) (Bolman & Deal, 1984). {Roddy:2010th} many have gone on to define politics as the tactics and strategies actors use to articulate...
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...and shared workplace interests, instead of the traditional managerial control and conflicts between employers and employees (Cully et al. 1999: 57; Kaufman 2008: 317). These ER initiatives can be traced back to the 1950s in the United States, where three human resource (HR) models became prominent, namely Fombrun, Tichy, and Devanna’s (1984) ‘matching model,’ Beer et al.’s (1984) ‘Harvard model,’ and Walton’s (1985) ‘control to commitment’ model (Farnham 1993: 34). Similar ER changes occurred in the United Kingdom (UK), although mainly in larger organisations. Authors argued that the manager’s frame of reference impacts how these perspectives are interpreted and used or not used (Farnham 1993: 36, Ackers and Payne 1998: 533,and Gennard and Judge 2002: 52). The three common kinds of ER perspectives are: unitarist, pluralist, and neo-unitary (Farnham 1993: 37). This essay critically evaluates only two approaches to ER namely, the unitary and pluralist perspectives and demonstrates the implications for managing successful ER in organisations adopting the unitarist perspectives. Unitarist perspectives Fox (1996) stated that there are two major frames of reference for ER, the unitarist and pluralist frameworks (cited in Farnham 1993: 36). There are several main elements of the unitarist perspective. First, there is only a single source of authority in organisation, which is usually the management, and oppositionary leaders are non-existent (Ross and Bamber 2009: 25). Second, the...
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...the employees. Learning Objective 1: Understand the context of employee relations against a changing background Task 1: Understanding Unitary and Pluralistic Approach Unitary Frames Unitary frame of reference is defined as a way of thinking, asset of assumptions, attitudes, views, values that are related with the management and organizational membership. The main theme of this frame is though the employees have different views based on their learning and education; they must have some common goals to be achieved while working in an organization. It finds expression by the implementation of the mission statements and it measures the success through the achievement of actually got. Unitary frames starts from the values and assumption. It says that workplace conflict is not expected at all between the manger and employee in the working environment [ (Dicker, 2003) ]. A conflict starts from two people’s behavior or occurrence that have a huge influence over other employees and parties to commit further conflict or problems in the workplace. Pluralistic Frames In this frame the organization is divided into powerful and different sub-groups. The basis of division may vary. Each group has its own objectives and purposes. Every group has loyalty and respect towards its leader. Conflict in this frame is not viewed as a bad thing all times....
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...Operationalizing Values and Value Systems in National Agricultural Research System N.H. Rao National Academy of Agricultural Research Management Rajendranagar Hyderabad 500 030 Abstract Value systems serve as frames of reference for behavioural responses at both individual and organizational levels. Institutions in which the organizational culture is highly evolved have invested in developing strong internal value systems to resolve ethical dilemmas and value conflicts, and ensure high performance, quality, social responsibility and employee professional satisfaction. Such investments contribute to both individual and organizational development and growth. There is a need to develop a viable organizational culture in institutions of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). This paper is concerned with how strong-willed and disciplined research and education managers, scientists and teachers can contribute to the development and operationalization of strong internal value systems in NARS. Three kinds of situations, where value conflicts can arise are identified. These relate to individual identity, identifying with the group in the work place, and organizational identity in society. By learning to identify each kind of value conflict situation, individuals can learn to resolve value conflicts in a practical way by a combination of self-inquiry and introspection with shrewedness and realism. The extent to which an individual can do this, without...
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...we come across worldwide. What defines communication, the different types of communicating and how is communication used. When understanding these subjects’ doors open to have a look at the differences communication is altered and affected by different cultures and how it is used in doing business across the globe. Hopefully it will reveal the answer to the question stated above. This report explores the communication process and identifies how varying cultures have an effect. The differing regional norms within the continents globally are also compared to aid successful communication across different cultures. Introduction In its basic form, negotiation is a method of conflict resolution. It is a problem-solving process in which two or more parties attempt to resolve their disagreement or conflict in a manner, and through a process, that is mutually agreeable. Whereas the general concept of negotiation is easy enough to understand, in practice it can be an extremely difficult proposition. Opposing views about what is right and wrong, disagreement on what is fair and equitable, understanding each other’s message and form of communication, and even the procedures that will be used to conduct negotiations are but a few of the hurdles that negotiators will encounter. Negotiation is further complicated when the parties find themselves negotiating across dissimilar cultures. “Culture is a powerful factor in shaping how people think, communicate...
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...Research Critique Part 1 Nurses globally experiences occupational stress. While there are researches that indicate stress can lead to various negative impacts on nurses, more research is needed for the cause of stress and what methods could be used to alleviate the stress. Workplace stress is associated with poor health outcomes of nurses, including physical illness, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. This could lead to staff turnover, significant levels of staff intending to leave, and absenteeism which could hurt the organization (Happell, et al., 2013). The purpose of the research is to determine the cause of stress and methods proposed by or taken by nurses to reduce workplace stress. There are two questions that the study was designed to answer. The two questions were to identify the nurse occupational stressors and the way in which the organization may be able to help reduce nurse occupation-related stress (Happell, et al., 2013). The purpose and research questions were related to the problem. The research was conducted in a way to seek answers to the current occupational stress problem the nurses are facing. The authors gathered information by asking interviewing 38 nurses who worked at different levels of nursing hierarchy and different settings. Different hierarchies were nursing directors, nurse unit managers and registered nurses. Participants were from different area of specialties such as pediatric, surgical, oncology, cardiac, intensive care, and...
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...established through joint regulation”. It is sometimes described as the “incomplete overlap in interests” and takes into account the roles of the main actors in this relationship looking at how each unit is interlinked to create a successful working environment. The key characters are the organisation itself (capital), labour (employees and trade unions) and of course the state (government). This essay aims to address the various approaches taken by workers in the field of employment relations, focus on their strengths and limitations and to identify key aspects which influence both internal and external regulation and control. According to Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations (Fox, 1966), the two major frames of reference in employment relations are unitarism and pluralism. These perspectives consider the historical, economic, social and political impact that they have on workers in a particular industry. The unitarist approach...
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...of life. It is important to employ a solid employee workforce within an organization, this can either make or break an organization. “In 2012 Pfizer was ranked #40 among Fortune 500 with 2011 revenue totaling almost 68 million dollars, and a profit margin of over 10 million dollars”(CNN Money, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to break apart Pfizer into four different organizational perspectives, analyze them, and then put them back together again. Or as with the title of the textbook (Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. Vol. 4) suggests to reframe organizations to a particular frame or frames. The frames that I will be using to analyze Pfizer Pharmaceuticals will be the Structural Frame, the Symbolic Frame, the Human Resources Frame, as well the Political Frame. To begin, I will describe the Pfizer organization using Bolman & Deal’s Structural Frame perspective. The structural components that I will discuss will be the Division of Labor, the Leadership Structure, and Roles and Responsibilities of the organization. Pfizer’s headquarters are located in New York, with numerous companies located throughout the United States and worldwide. At Pfizer geography plays a major role because by having numerous locations available. This would make the supplying of products easier, quicker and more efficient thus keeping up with demand. “This labor practice follows one of the six structural assumption...
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...Frame Relay Congestion Control CIS532004016-201003: Network Architecture and Analysis TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1- Introduction …………………………………………………………. 3 Chapter 2- Background …………………………………………………………. 4 Chapter 3- Review and Findings ………………………………………………. 11 Chapter 4- Conclusion …………………………………………………………. 12 References ……………………………………………………………………... 13 Frame Relay Congestion Control This document is a study of the principles of congestion control within the frame relay protocol. From examining existing congestion management efforts to up and coming possible solutions there are a multiplicity of efforts intent on solving network congestion issues. These efforts include work by independent research groups as well standards groups like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and IEEE (802.1Qau - Congestion Notification). Congestion is defined as the condition in which demand exceeds available network resources (i.e., bandwidth or buffer space) for a sustained period of time. Congestion control deals with the resource allocation and traffic management mechanisms that avoid or recover from conditions causing congestive situations. (McDysan, Spohn (1999). The methods for congestion control in frame relay involve congestion management and avoidance. Congestion management attempts to make sure the network never experiences congestion. One method of management attempts to avoid congestion entirely. This involves network designers allocating proper resource...
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...PERSONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE Source: RESOLVING CONFLICT – With Others and Within Yourself By Gini Graham Scott, PhD AIMS AND METHOD: To help you to become more aware of your personal approach to conflict. In this questionnaire you are presented with 12 situations that you are likely to encounter in your personal, professional, or political lives. Each situation has 5 possible responses. Allocate 10 points between each possible response(s), with the highest number of points indicating your strongest response. You can allocate the 10 points as you wish as long as the total for each situation is 10 (so for example, you can allocate 10 points for 1 response and 0 for the rest.) It might be helpful to keep a single frame of reference in mind when answering these questions (e.g., your experience at work; or at home amongst family, friends and local community; or your involvement with wider issues such as in political organizations. Keep your chosen frame of reference of reference in mind when responding to all the situations. You will find that situations A-F focus on your individual reactions and feelings when faced with conflicts. Situations G-L concentrate more on how you interact in a group setting. This is not a test, and the survey is helpful to you only in so far as you accurately represent your characteristic responses. SITUATION A Upon experiencing strong feelings in a conflict situation you would 1 ___ Enjoy the emotional release and exhilaration ...
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