...ORGANIZATION SCIENCE Vol. 2, No. 4, November 1991 Printed in U.S.A. ILLUSIONS AND OTHER GAMES: A TRIFOCAL VIEW OF ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS* PATRICIA BRADSHAW-CAMBALL AND VICTOR V. MURRAY York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario, Canada Despite recent and growing interest in organizational politics, conceptual thought in this area tends to be dominated by a single theoretical perspective. In this paper we describe and contrast three views of organizational politics (functionalist, interpretive and radical) according to their differing structures, processes and outcomes. Each view, or lens, directs attention to some aspects of politics and away from others, and each has strengths and weaknesses embedded in it. In order to assess whether multiple perspectives on politics can be fruitfully applied simultaneously, we describe and analyze a case of a hospital administration engaged in budgeting games and illusion making. The data for the case were collected using naturalistic inquiry and multiple methods including structured and unstructured interviews, review of documents, observation of meetings and casual interaction facilitated by frequent visits over a ten-month period. The case revolves around the hospital administrators' attempts to deal with what they termed a "disastrous deficit" and the most serious financial situation in the hospital's history. Strategies for dealing with the funding agency and board of directors included the management...
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...INTRODUCTION The term "Industrial Relations" has developed both a broad and a narrow meaning. Originally, industrial relations was broadly defined to include the totality of relationships and interactions between employers and employees. From this perspective, industrial relations covers all aspects of the employment relationship, including human resource (or personnel) management, employee relations, and union-management (or labor) relations. Since the mid-twentieth century, however, the term has increasingly taken on a narrower, more restricted interpretation that largely equates it with unionized employment relationships. In this view, industrial relations pertains to the study and practice of collective bargaining, trade unionism, and labor-management relations, while human resource management is a separate, largely distinct field that deals with nonunion employment relationships and the personnel practices and policies of employers. Both meanings of the term coexist in the twenty-first century, although the latter is the more common. ORIGINS The term "industrial relations" came into common usage in the 1910s, particularly in 1912 upon the appointment by President William Taft of an investigative committee titled the Commission on Industrial Relations. The commission's charge was to investigate the causes of widespread, often violent labor conflict and make recommendations regarding methods to promote greater cooperation and harmony among employers and employees. Shortly...
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...Early life and education John Dunlop the eldest of his seven siblings was born on the 5th July 1914 in Placerville, northern California, USA. Here in fertile lands of California His parents, John Wallace and the former Antonia Forni, Presbyterian missionaries owned a pear ranch. In due course of time however, his parents migrated to the distant island of Cebu in the Philippines situated in the western Pacific Ocean, with Taiwan to its north, Vietnam to the west, Indonesia to the south and the open North Pacific Ocean to the east. Here he was raised and educated until he graduated from high school. After finishing high school there, Dunlop and his brother soon after returned to the USA to further their education, he entered Marin Community College in California in 1931 because prestigious four-year universities were reluctant to take a student from such a little known high school.1 He transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a degree with highest honors in 1935 in northern California. He later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, the same University which turned down his application for enrolment and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1935 with highest honors. It was during his studies at Berkeley, that he met his fiancé’ Dorothy Emily Webb. The two got married on 6th July 1937. Dunlop continued studies at the University where he earned his PhD in Economics in 1939, delivering the dissertation “Movements of wage-rates in the...
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...Industrial Relations in BD (Conceptual) 1. Question: Causes of poor Industrial Relation’s in BD a) Question: Political Interference may be creating bad IR practices? Answer: Political interferences are one of the causes of poor industrial relations. If there are any political influences then political aim will take over the industrial aim. If people are involved in politics then they will be more interested in politics and they will do work with less labor and try to earn compensation without working. Because then they will think that they have good relation with politicians and have shelter with political persons. Trade Unions did not bother the management then strike, lock out will be regular phenomena. For this unstable situation productivity will be hampered. Lastly by interferences of policies only CBA person benefited but ultimately labors become looser. We know productivity is directly involved with economy, if productivity less it will be create a great impact of our whole economy. If productivity will grow automatically economy of the country will be grow and if productivity will less automatically economy of the country will be less. For a good atmosphere of industrial relation need to a standard compensation and benefits, salary timely, recreation, leave for employees then they will actively. But if involve politics in industrial atmosphere then all things or all system will be destroy. There will be creating class conflict and dissatisfaction. Then all industry...
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...Employment Relations is the study of the “regulation of the employment relationship between employer and employee, both collectively and individually, and the determination of substantive and procedural issues at industrial, organisational and workplace levels” (Rose, 2004). It functions as the association between workers and managers and is present when employees carry out work under certain conditions in return for something to compensate for the provision of their service; usually in monetary terms. Through this relationship, the rights of both the employer and the employee are established and it operates as the channel through which workers can gain access to the many benefits associated with employment such as a good wage, job satisfaction and opportunities for career development. Ultimately, an employment relation is about “the creation of order at work” through a “system of rules 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...
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...Pluralist perspective of 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...
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...My presentation of the analysis of this case would be very specific and to the point. I would relate to certain broad strategy areas and describe them in enough depth to help understand the concept, without going into the complete details. Post analysis of the Harley Davidson turn-around, I see the activities and planning involved by the entire management team, to be somewhat as highlighted below. I would also link these aspects with an (I) Internal and (E) External stakeholder sign, for the purpose of understanding the relationships involved in this re-engineering process. Educate (I+E) -> Create Need (E) -> Supply (E) -> Post-Sales (I+E) -> Promote Loyalty(E) -> Best Practices (E) -> Educate (I+E) Harley Davidson's (HD) entire turnaround effort since 1981 can be bulleted within these critical areas of improvement. More specifically, we could categorize all these above initiatives and more, within three functional areas of priority. Create Demand, Produce Product & Provide Support. Create Demand- a. Branding (E)- The HD leadership embarked on a mission to re-brand their image, and successfully did so with their Ford Truck Initiative and the Diverse Customer Base product positioning. They appealed to a larger population base, than the company had ever done in its history. b. Customer Loyalty (E)- HD had a strong customer base, but with a rapidly ageing customer population the company took some initiatives in developing customer loyalty- to further their brand...
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...TERM – VI INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ASSIGNMENT-PEOPLE MANAGEMENT FIASCO AT HMSI Submitted to Prof. Somnath Ghosh (Course Faculty) On 31st January, 2015 By Vijay Kumar Vikramjeet Mishra Roll Number-1328 POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT KASHIPUR What do you think were the principle causes of the trouble that HMSI faced? Problem Analysis Honda Motorcycles and scooters India Ltd.was established in India in 1999 and was the leading producer of motorcycles and scooters in the country by 2005. The leading Japan firm’s subsidiary with the Japanese focus of hard HRM in its strategy. The focus was on meeting deadlines no matter what happens with the workers. There was a complete chaos due to the workers slowly and slowly under the hard practices and unfair treatment were getting in synchronize with each other to raise a union in order to gain there rights and managers knowing this would lead to the dissolution of their powers. In their pursuit they took help of police, private outside people and to stop unionization even increased pay of workers but all effort gone in vain. The chronological sequencing of the events going out at the HMSI are as follows: 1. Resentment in 2004 on the acceptance of Diwali gifts. 2. Resentment on termination of worker due to late coming. 3. Acts of a Japanese VP 4. Refusal of offer of management to take monetary benefits in order to not to form a Union in response...
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...Industrial Relations paradigm in India had dramatically changed following the adaptation of free market policy in the early nineties. With the dawn of liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG), the country is, by and large, able to preserve a sound and positive industrial relations climate. This is apparent from the statistical figures of Union Government’s Labour Bureau, which exhibits drastic decline of industrial disputes from 1,825 in 1990 to 421 in 20081 , and India being the third most preferred global investment destination. Foreign direct investment inflows to India went up to $32 billion in 2011, which was a 33 percent increase over the previous year.2 ‘Liberalization’ and ‘Globalization’ introduced change of business environment, and increased competition among industries for survival. Potential market capacity and availability of workforce lured many MNC’s, representing the best brands of the world, to set up their offices in India, giving a tough competition to their counterparts. To compete in this customer driven market economy, industries requires flexibility in managing manpower to address occasional upsurge or slowdown in demand. But the archaic and rigid Indian labour laws, which were enacted 8 – 4 decades back, restricting right-sizing of manpower, are creating hurdles in smooth functioning of industries. These factors are tending industries to hire more and more numbers of contract labours to have greater...
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...THIRD INDIA-EU SEMINAR ON EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS (NEW DELHI – SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2008) India and European Union (EU) have entered into a Joint Action Plan to have a policy dialogue and cooperation in the fields of employment and social policy to share experience, periodic exchange of views and information on the following issues:(i) Labour and employment issues, including employment policies, restructuring, the global employment opportunities and requirements for trained manpower; (ii) Human resource management in particular through training and skills development; and (iii) Social Security. 2. In line with the Joint Action Plan, the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and exchange of views and information on issues of common interests within the area of employment and social policy such as: skills, training and employment, social security, occupational health and safety; workers’ participation in management; and other relevant issues jointly identified. The structured dialogue consists of exchanges of experience, best practice, views and information on topics of common interest, trends and policy developments related to the above areas. As a part of this structured dialogue, it has been agreed upon to organize a joint seminar on mutually identified issues every year. These seminars will bring together EU and India government...
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...Introduction To Industrial Relations | | | Industrial relations has become one of the most delicate and complex problems of modern industrial society. Industrial progress is impossible without cooperation of labors and harmonious relationships. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to create and maintain good relations between employees (labor) and employers (management). | | Concept of Industrial Relations: The term ‘Industrial Relations’ comprises of two terms: ‘Industry’ and ‘Relations’. “Industry” refers to “any productive activity in which an individual (or a group of individuals) is (are) engaged”. By “relations” we mean “the relationships that exist within the industry between the employer and his workmen.” The term industrial relations explains the relationship between employees and management which stem directly or indirectly from union-employer relationship. Industrial relations are the relationships between employees and employers within the organizational settings. The field of industrial relations looks at the relationship between management and workers, particularly groups of workers represented by a union. Industrial relations are basically the interactions between employers, employees and the government, and the institutions and associations through which such interactions are mediated. The term industrial relations has a broad as well as a narrow outlook. Originally, industrial relations was broadly defined to include the relationships...
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...but, but he didn’t advise his supervisor that he would be absent. Absenteeism in the plant averages six shifts a year. The company has noticed a significant deterioration in Peter’s performance over the past four years and it is getting progressively worse. There seems to be a pattern of Monday and Friday absences and there are strong and persistent rumours from other employees and supervisors that Peter’s breath smells of alcohol on a regular basis. When Peter is at work, his mood swings are totally unpredictable. Some employees have even gone so far as to complain to management about Peter’s absenteeism, attitude and performance suggesting that his behaviour is disruptive to the entire workforce. The newly appointed Labour Relations Manager is Bob Graham. His first directive from senior management is to get rid of Peter Frost. Bob reviews Peter’s file and, to his horror he discovers that...
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...Assignment #3 The importance of industrial relations is the key to the progress and success of an organization. The important benefit of them is to ensure continuity of production. This means continuous employment for all from the managers to the workers. Disputes are the reflections of the failure of basic human urges or motivations to secure adequate satisfaction or expression that are fully cured by good industrial relations. Strikes, lockouts, unfair tactics, and grievances are a few of the reflections of industrial unrest and do not appear in an atmosphere of the industrial calm. In the end “good” industrial relations depends on which theory you find more persuasive: unitarism, radicalism, or pluralism. Unitarism is perceived as an integrated and harmonious system where the management, staff and all the members of the organization share the same objectives, interests, purposes and are viewed as one happy family. This single entity with a single authority has a loyalty structure which is considered paternalistic approaches were trade unions are deemed unnecessary and conflict is perceived as disruptive. Here management rights to manage are seen as legitimate and rational; and any opposition to management right to manage is seen as irrational. How long would the step ford wives syndrome last before it begins to crumble and fall apart? On the other hand radicalism objects to the capitalistic source of power where the ownership and control extends beyond the...
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...The unitary and pluralist perspectives of employee relations Since the 1980s, there has been a significant paradigm shift in managing employee relations (ER) to one focused on more strategic and integrated frameworks that are based on employee commitment 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...
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...Introduction This paper will talk about the employment relations from two perspectives, a unitatist perspective and a pluralist perspective, and then make an analysis of the Australian Waterfront Dispute 1997-1998 from these two perspectives. In order to make clear the changes of the stevedoring industry in Australia, one has to understand the disputes occurred between 1997 and 1998. These disputes were not simple because they demonstrated the employment relations in the industry or even the whole economy (Trinca and Davies, 2000). Thus, what is the Australian Waterfront Dispute 1997-1998? And how it happens and changes? About these two questions, the paper will give a clear outline on the changes and related issues of the Dispute in its third part. And to be in accordance with the question requirements, the paper will also tackle what are unitarist and pluralist perspectives in the second part. The detailed information about these two perspectives are based on the PPTs in class and related theories, as well as some philosophical ideas. After clarifying the two perspectives, making an analysis of the Australian Waterfront Dispute 1997-1998 is essential to answer the question. As mentioned, this section will be included in the third part. Now it comes to the last part, the conclusion part. In this part, the paper will give an overall evaluation on the two perspectives in the process of dispute changes, and show the author’s standpoint on this issue. Analysis of Australian...
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