MGMT375 Columbia Tools For Creating A Union-Management Partnership
Business Finance
Evaluate tools for creating a Union-Management partnership. From your perspective, rank the degree of success of each tool and share why you ranked them in the order that you did.
This Discussion is asking you to express your opinion in ranking the guidelines which have the highest and lowest probability of success for Labor-Management partnering. Turn to “Labor Relations in Action-High Performance Work Organization (HPWO) Partnering Principles” in Chapter 8. Here you will find 9 principles listed which can be used as goals to strive for in a partnering relationship. Rank each principle from 1-5 based on what you think the probability for success is as a goal. Number five is the highest probability for success, and one the lowest, etc.
High Performance Work Organization (HPWO) Partnership Principles
Union and management leaders responsible for their respective organizations are asked to write and sign a partnership agreement signifying a real commitment to partnership as a means of implementing meaningful change in the work environment. The following principles help define what components comprise a true partnership:
- Shared decision making concerning issues critical to the competitiveness of the business, including costs and work processes.
- Development of continuous learning and skill building to meet the changing education needs of all employees.
- Continuous integration of leading-edge technology that utilizes the skills, knowledge, and insights of employees. Leading-edge technology includes equipment, new materials, work processes, and labor relations intended to both stabilize and grow the business and the workforce.
- A co-determined definition of quality and its continuous measurement and improvement. Quality includes meeting customers’ expectations and is critical to the ability of the firm to grow and its employees to prosper.
- Shared technical and financial information. Access to relevant and timely information is necessary for parties to make appropriate decisions. Open and honest communication between labor and management serves to build trust in a partner.
- Ongoing joint determination of costs such as design, prototype development, production, and administrative overhead. This requires a cost accounting system capable of assigning cost to various elements in the work process.
- Acceptance of the union as an independently chosen representative of employees. Through the collective bargaining process, including the use of a contract grievance procedure, the parties can seek to resolve conflicts of interest which may arise while seeking to expand opportunities for cooperation.
- Union and management leaders willing to advocate the partnership concept and motivate all employees to participate in bringing about positive workplace changes.
- A jointly developed strategic business plan. The plan should cover current products and services, development of new products and services, and the goals and direction to be taken by the partners to achieve future growth.
SOURCE: International Association of Machinists, HPWO Components, October 19, 2009, pp. 1–3 at http://www.goiam.org/; International Association of Machinists, HPWO Ten Steps, October 19, 2009, pp. 1–2 at http://www.goiam.org/.
