ORG Blog

Voices, Votes, and External Influence: Labor Management History Repeats Itself

November 22, 2014 will be the 21st anniversary of the end of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) strike at American Airlines. This is significant to me for several reasons– one is because I was there, in the middle, and I remember it like it was yesterday. The second is because recent history reminds me of the power of external influences on the labor- management process in the United States.

Topics: Collaboration Conflict Resolution Labor Management Leadership Overland Resource Group Sustainable Change

Recognizing Labor's Contributions

HERE'S TO ALL WHOSE LABOR BUILDS OUR ECONOMY, OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

Topics: Collaboration Labor Management Leadership Overland Resource Group

5 Keys to Build and Sustain Successful Labor-Management Collaboration

As I took to the podium for a panel discussion at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Labor and Employment Relations Association earlier this month, it was with a delightful trifecta of emotion:

Topics: Collaboration Labor Management Leadership Overland Resource Group

Can Lean Manufacturing Be Implemented in a Union Environment?

I wrote a blog for Plant Services, an online magazine, titled “Lean Manufacturing: Can Employee Resistance be Transformed to Buy-In?

My response to the question was an emphatic “yes!” and the exploration of that topic got me thinking about my experiences with implementing Lean processes in union environments. So, to the obvious follow-up question, “Can lean manufacturing be implemented in a union environment?” my equally emphatic answer is “Yes, of course!”

Topics: Breakthrough Collaboration Labor Management Leadership Sustainable Change

Labor-Management Collaboration on Communication Drives Business Improvement

biz woman greets wrkr

In organizations that are shifting toward higher levels of labor-management collaboration, “joint” communication that includes both management and union perspectives can demonstrate that organizational change is taking place in immediate and very visible ways. When employees see communication processes begin to reflect diverse perspectives– rather than strictly the company line or union messaging– it signals movement to a more open and honest environment and the development of collaborative relationships. Joint work and joint communication go hand and hand, each supporting and strengthening the other.

Topics: Breakthrough Collaboration Conflict Resolution Leadership

End of the Quarter Decision-Making Frenzy: Good for Basketball; Bad for Corporations

basketball biz person

Let’s start with this simple premise – businesses today talk about the importance of the customer, but in far too many cases make all their important decisions based on short term shareholder behavior.

Topics: Collaboration Leadership Sustainable Change

Taking Charge: Labor-Management Relationships Can Be Deliberately Defined and Cultivated

Like most others in the labor relations arena, we watched with great interest the events and debates surrounding the recent vote by the workforce at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN, on whether or not to be represented by the United Auto Workers. Clearly enormous gaps exist between those who believe that unions are a thorn in the side of any organization and those who believe the UAW and VW had the opportunity to launch an alternative approach to traditional labor-management relations.

Topics: Collaboration Labor Management Leadership

The Interest-Based Leadership Checklist: A Crucial Tool for Effectively Guiding Difficult Conversations

Part 3 of 3 in an Interest-Based Leadership series

Topics: Collaboration Conflict Resolution Labor Management Leadership Overland Resource Group

Labor-Management Relations at BART: Weathering a Storm of Their Own Making

danger thin iceWe didn’t want to be right.

Topics: Conflict Resolution Labor Management Leadership

Equal and Different-Leaders Can Value Both Using Interest-Based Leadership

Part 2 of 3 in an Interest-Based Leadership series

Topics: Collaboration Labor Management Leadership Sustainable Change