A study of commercial arbitration in the textile industry that points up the greater flexibility of arbitration in decisionmaking over the litigation process. (Author)

Hypothesizes that boundary spanning is differentiated function not necessarily performed by one person. Analyzing longitudinal data collected during labor negotiations shows some individuals on bargaining teams ("representatives") broker ties toward their opponents, and others ("gatekeepers") broker ties from their opponents.…

Describes the development of a standardized approach for identifying, defining, and measuring indicators of work performance and effectiveness and of the methods for expressing these indicators in financial terms. (Author/IRT)

Applies the concept of control to organizations. Argues that organizations have been constructed over time on the basis of different modes of control of the labor process. The modes of control become specialized for different socioeconomic classes within organizations in reaction to historical cycles of capitalist development. (Author/RW)

Considers industrial relations policies and practices of stevedore firms in the West Coast longshore industry in terms of the social worker, worker-resource, and institutional theories. Subsidiary firms were more lenient in contract interpretation and more competitive in recruitment, supporting the worker-resource theory. Includes 2 tables and 33…

Researchers interviewed 83 subordinate employees and 70 supervisory employees to investigate the ways subordinates try to influence their supervisors. Supervisors and subordinates reported similar agents and methods of influence, causes of success, and outcomes of attempts at upward influence, but different causes of failure. (Author/RW)

This study applies social judgment theory and interactive computer graphics to labor-management negotiations. Self-understanding and understanding of one's counterpart were found generally to be poor. Participants reported gaining new insights and indicated that the use of interactive graphics is feasible and desirable. (Authors)

Distinguishes conflict from competition in the intraorganizational context and presents a behavioral conceptualization of the conflict process. Proposes that goal incompatibility, perceived opportunity for interference, and interdependent activities among organizational subunits increase the potential for conflict. This conceptual scheme is then…

Describes the use of participative action research to solve problems of work-related employee injuries in a rural midwestern electronics plant by increasing employee involvement. The researchers established an employee problem-solving group that interviewed and surveyed workers, analyzed the results, and suggested new work arrangements. (Author/RW)