UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP

NICK CREABY-ATTWOOD
 How do we
make sense
of
bargaining relationships?
 CONTEXT:
PRODUCT
MARKETS
PROCESS:
INTRA-
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT:
LABOUR
MARKETS

PROCESS:
ATTITUDINAL
IDEOLOGY

t PROCESS:
INTEGRATIVE PROCESS:
DISTRIBUTIVE
CONTEXT
 product
markets
 competitive
intensification
 replace class
competitive struggle
intensification with the
struggle for markets
(Bassett, 1986)
“The implications of the new competitive environment are transmitted through the increasing
demands of consumers, providing a new organisational imperative focussed upon achieving
the kinds of employee behaviours that will satisfy the demands of the customer (Heery, 1993).”
 cooperative
competitive relationships?
intensification or the
opposite?
 labour
markets
 labour bargaining
markets power
 labour bargaining
markets power
bargaining changes
power cyclically
Brown (1998)
 outsourcing
zero hours
casualisation
changes but reinforced
cyclically by product
market changes
Brown (1998)
IDEOLOGY
 Filthy
capitalist… Filthy workers…
stealing my stealing my
wages profits

egoism, unitarism,
pluralism
and the flavours of
critical theory
orientations
affect outcomes
 real
trust
begins with positive
expectations
about the other side
(Dietz, 2004)
 limits to trust…
what if it doesn’t spread
beyond the bargainers?
(Dietz, 2004)
relationship patterns:
conflict
containment-aggression
accommodation
cooperation
collusion
relationship patterns:
become
objectives
in their
own right
MOBILISATION THEORY
“The fundamental question of how individuals are transformed into collective actors willing
and able to create and sustain collective organization and engage in collective action against
their employer” (Kelly, 1998)
INJUSTICE
ATTRIBUTION
MOBILISATION
IDENTITY
AGENCY
“The fundamental question of how individuals are transformed into collective actors willing
and able to create and sustain collective organization and engage in collective action against
their employer” (Kelly, 1998)
INJUSTICE
ATTRIBUTION
MOBILISATION
IDENTITY
AGENCY
“The conceptual core of mobilization theory is the idea of injustice, a perception of a social
wrong that departs from ‘widely shared social values’ or from explicit contractual or other
rights.” (Kelly, 2018)
INJUSTICE
ATTRIBUTION
MOBILISATION
IDENTITY
AGENCY
Mobilisation becomes redundant unless it can be directed towards an entity from which
change can be sought.
“External uncontrollable attributions such as reference to economic conditions or market
forces will inhibit collective action by failing to identify an agency that can provide an
appropriate target for action.” (Kelly, 1997)
INJUSTICE
ATTRIBUTION
MOBILISATION
IDENTITY
AGENCY
The collective needs to have a sense of shared identity, this means that, for the parties to
mobilise, they must feel connected.
INJUSTICE
ATTRIBUTION
MOBILISATION
IDENTITY
AGENCY
In situations where an injustice is felt strongly enough by enough union members to warrant
some form of action, the union must have the agency to effect this action.
PROCESS
distributive
bargaining
distributive
bargaining issues
are conflictual
in nature
distributive
bargaining issues
but exist in a relationship
that remains mutually useful
distributive
bargaining issues
economic
rights and obligations
relationship patterns
distributive
bargaining positions
potential utility
probability
costs (disutilities)
distributive
bargainingoutcomes
25%
40%
50% 50%
60%
75%
distributive
bargainingoutcomes
the default
position
integrative
bargaining
integrative
bargaining
mutual
problem
solving
integrative
bargaining
corresponding
and equal
gains
integrative
bargaining outcomes
but in reality
40%

60%
integrative
bargainingoutcomes
high benefit
low sacrifice
integrative
bargainingbehaviour
mutual acceptability
maximise the gain
not compromise
mixed
bargaining
attitudinal
structuring
attitudinal
structuring aims
ensure that
attitudes don’t prevent
the best deal for them ‘as a whole’
attitudinal
structuring aims
but also look after their
principals’ interests
a delicate balancing act
 attitudinal
structuring tactics
shared preferences
take responsibility for something favourable
dissociate from something causing harm
reward or punish
intraorganisational
bargaining
intraorganisational
bargaining tactics
modify substantive expectations
ignore behavioural expectations

how well can you convince?

how much is your behaviour noticed?
intraorganisational
bargaining tactics
substantive modifications ‘allowed’ to develop
comply with behavioural expectations

changing aspirations
but lower risks
intraorganisational
bargaining tactics
substantive expectations discreetly ignored
comply with behavioural expectations

behavioural compliance allow bargainer

to treat substantive changes as
‘a fait accompli’