Political processes in grievance resolution: An empirical study

Abstract

From its origins in law, the scope of the concept of "due process“ (the idea of procedural as well as substantive rights of citizens) has expanded to include work organizations. In the industrial organizations, considerations of "due process" are being particularly applied in the areas of formalization of the employee organization relationship and extension of employee rights. Formal Grievance Procedure (GP) is, perhaps, the most significant application of "due process “in industrial organizations. The literature on grievance resolution processes in organizations has focused more on its normative and formal aspects. Even the limited empirical research on GPs in organizations has been restricted to the variables within the procedure. This research endeavors to fill a research gap by studying formal as well as actual grievance resolution processes in an industrial organization. Previous research on the subject suggested that application of the “political model" would facilitate the understanding of the actual process of grievance resolution in organizations. “Political model “views organizations as pluralistic and divided into various interests and subunits and, challenges the more prevalent "rational model" of organizations. The research attempted to understand the political processes of grievance resolution in the context of larger organization and its environment. The “political model" was operationalised by identifying the key factors involved in grievance resolution, their "sources of power“, and the “influence tactics“ they used on one another. The study was conducted at one of the largest integrated public sector steel plants in the country. Case study method of research was followed. The unit of analysis was the grievance resolution process for a particular grievance. Six such cases for different types of grievances were studied in the background of the personnel policies, industrial relations and the formal grievance procedure of the organization. The analyses of the cases showed that the outcome of the grievance resolution process could be explained considerably in terms of the "sources of power “of the key-actors and the influence tactics“ they used. The data indicated that political behaviour in the organization needs to be analysed in a more complex manner than is prevalent in the present literature. It has to be understood at two levels-one, the apparent-explicit behaviour of the actors, and two, the underlying symbolic aspects of power, which legitimise the behaviour of the powerful. The case analyses also signified that the grievance resolution process is to be understood not only as a snap-shot of political behaviour, but also as an episode in the on-going political processes in the organization. The findings have important implications for the functioning of due process in organizations.