Motivation and Unionization

Political philosophers, sociologists, economists and psychologists have been formulating theories to account for social organization. Man is a social being, one if his basic needs is to belong, and so it is but natural to him to organize institutions, organizations and groups. Motivation is a general term referring to the regulation of need-satisfying and goal-seeking behavior (Atkinson et al., 1993).

Economists and political philosophers have studied social organization motivations basically to understand their role in commerce and industry, particularly labor organization. Unionization is act of forming labor unions, which are groups or organizations that are organized to represent the labor work force as a collective, whose objectives are to protect workers from unjust labor practices, to improve working conditions, and to look after the general welfare.

Unionization is often viewed as negative from the perspective of management. Managing unions can only be done if there is through understanding of the motivations behind it. It is the objective of this paper to understand the concepts of motivation and unionization and to deduce an appropriate proposition to the management of labor unions.

Understanding Unionization

Industrialization fathered labor unions. Unions were to begin with organized to monitor pay levels and increase and working conditions and through it safety regulations were developed, and standardized, child labor was abolished, and work day and work week were shortened, and started non-wage benefits like pensions and health insurance (Feinman, 2006). Basically, unions gave workers bargaining power against unfair labor practices, safety measures in the lack of protective labor laws and allowed a venue to voice concerns of workers. Unions are not oppositions to management but a safeguard when workers become unheard, ignored or disregarded.

The statement that “A company that deserves a union gets one” is not absolute but it is undeniable that it can greatly influence workers to organize unions. Unions may be organized even if there are optimum working conditions but the original motives for forming unions in the 19th century can be very become the motives for forming them today. It has to be recognized that unionization has significantly suffered a decline in the last 30 years (Clemens et al., 2003). Feinman (2006) reasons that the decline in unionization is the development of automation in factories, thus lessening those engaged in the industry, but there are still sectors that are in need of unions, particularly the service sector, to represent worker needs and concerns.

Understanding Leadership and Motivation

Leadership is a powerful motivator. Bad leadership can trigger unwanted responses in the workforce causing them to form defensive groups that may be having an attitude range of indifference to hostility. Confidence in management allows for open communication channels facilitating the discussion and resolution of concerns or disputes. Sound directives from management lead to responsiveness to company culture and inspire loyalty to the company. When workers feel secure, properly represented and involved in the company, the desire for collective action is not as significant (Dong-One and Voos, 1997).

Sound leadership and motivation is able to guide the members of the organization towards the accomplishment of the major goal which is profits, efficiency and effectivity of the company. To achieve these, one has to be able to manage labor relations well. So, if workers turn to union organization as a means of communication and solving their concerns, considering the decline in unionization by workers, it may very well mean indeed that leadership and motivation strategies that are being implemented is not effective or enough to develop optimum labor relations.

Deserving a Union

What kind of companies has labor unions? Labor unions are present in all industries. The popular notion is that unionization is that it is only common blue collar workers but the reality is that even white collar workers need the protection against unfair labor practices, lack of labor legislation and oppressive conditions. The presence of unions does not increase labor liabilities, it only unifies the individual responsibility or management to workers.

Surprisingly, there are even situations where the organization of a union should be encouraged by a company. Labor organizations have two faces according to Dong-One and Voos (1997) that “unions possess both a collective voice face and a monopoly face”. In the event that there are several groups in the workforce who have various concerns, it is to the benefit of management for workers to unionize into one group instead of the company having to deal with several groups instead (Flanagan, 1999).

It can also make easier the assessment of workers’ dispositions and moods. In one way it can also contribute to labor stability, workers and management are bound by the collective bargaining agreements that are established thus providing specifics for operations, alleviation of concerns and improvement of the company as a whole.

Conclusion

The suggestion that if proper leadership and motivation techniques are employed and desirable policies devised, workers will not want to unionize is not absolutely conclusive. Workers may still not unionize even if their working conditions are less than desirable when there are legal impediments to do so or there is too much risk associated with the act of unionization. Conversely, workers of companies with good management may still opt to unionize in the vent that they desire an organized representation of themselves, unionize as a means if creating other institutions like cooperatives or lobby groups, or are required by the company or the state to unionize.

The statement that “a company that deserves a union gets one” implies that the organization of labor unions a consequence is also misleading. It suggests that unionization is purely a deterrent to a company. Unionization can improve communication between workers and management, allow management greater access to workforce conditions, and promote the company as a preferred employer thus enhancing public image.

There exists a duality in the existence of labor unions in their benefit and burden to an organization. It is important to understand that since individual motivations drive the organization of labor unions, there is no real straightforward judgment on its worth or price. Equally as influential in the organization of labor unions are macroeconomic factors that stem from national labor policies, service and product demands and national productivity. It is therefore the conclusion of this paper inefficient leadership and motivation is a significant factor in the formation of unions but it is not a conclusive reason for it is important to consider other contributing factors that can either encourage or inhibit unionization.

Reference

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Clemens, Jason, Karabegoviæ, Amela and Veldhuis, Niels (2003). Unionization: The Facts Please.

Dong-One,  Kim and Voos (1997). Unionization, Union Involvement and the Performance of Gain Sharing Programs.

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