NMIMS December 2018 assignments : We provide at nominal rates: Contact us at assignmentssolution@gmail.com

Industrial conflicts are the results of several socio-economic, psychological and political factors. Various lines of thoughts have been expressed and approaches used to explain his complex phenomenon. One observer has stated, “An economist tries to interpret industrial conflict in terms of impersonal markets forces and laws of supply demand. To a politician, industrial conflict is a war of different ideologies – perhaps a class-war. To a psychologist, industrial conflict means the conflicting interests, aspirations, goals, motives and perceptions of different groups of individuals, operating within and reacting to a given socio-economic and political environment”.

Psychological approach

The problems of IR have their origin in the perceptions of the management, unions and the workers. The conflicts between labour and management occur because every group negatively perceives the behaviour of the other i.e. even the honest intention of the other party so looked at with suspicion. The problem is further aggravated by various factors like the income, level of education, communication, values, beliefs, customs, goals of persons and groups, prestige, power, status, recognition, security etc are host factors both economic and non-economic which influence perceptions unions and management towards each other. Industrial peace is a result mainly of proper attitudes and perception of the two parties.

Sociological approach

Industry is a social world in miniature. The management goals, workers’ attitudes, perception of change in industry, are all, in turn, decided by broad social factors like the culture of the institutions, customs, structural changes, status-symbols, rationality, acceptance or resistance to change, tolerance etc. Industry is, thus inseparable from the society in which it functions. Through the main function of an industry is economic, its social consequences are also important such as urbanization, social mobility, housing and transport problem in industrial areas, disintegration of family structure, stress and strain, etc. As industries develop, a new industrial-cum-social pattern emerges, which provides general new relationships, institutions and behavioural pattern and new techniques of handling human resources. These do influence the development of industrial relations.

Human relations approach

Human resources are made up of living human beings. They want freedom of speech, of thought of expression, of movement, etc. When employers treat them as inanimate objects, encroach on their expectations, throat-cuts, conflicts and tensions arise. In fact major problems in industrial relations arise out of a tension which is created because of the employer’s pressures and workers’ reactions, protests and resistance to these pressures through protective mechanisms in the form of workers’ organization, associations and trade unions.

Through tension is more direct in work place; gradually it extends to the whole industry and sometimes affects the entire economy of the country. Therefore, the management must realize that efforts are made to set right the situation. Services of specialists in Behavioural Sciences (namely, psychologists, industrial engineers, human relations expert and personnel managers) are used to deal with such related problems. Assistance is also taken from economists, anthropologists, psychiatrists, pedagogists, tec. In resolving conflicts, understanding of human behavior – both individual and groups – is a pre-requisite for the employers, the union leaders and the government – more so for the

management. Conflicts cannot be resolved unless the management must learn and know what the basic what the basic needs of men are and how they can be motivated to work effectively.

It has now been increasingly recognized that much can be gained by the managers and the worker, if they understand and apply the techniques of human relations approaches to industrial relations. The workers are likely to attain greater job satisfaction, develop greater involvement in their work and achieve a measure of identification of their objectives with the objectives of the organization; the manager, on their part, would develop greater insight and effectiveness in their work.

External Factors

The history of industrial relations goes back to when workers felt that employer actions or market conditions caused them to have an unequal share of power in their relationship with their employer. Workers turned to collective bargaining in the public and private sectors to get better wages and working conditions from their employer's representatives. Today, there are many laws ensuring that U.S. workers receive a minimum wage and safe working environments. More labor regulation later decreased the need for collective bargaining.

Internal Factors

Another way to look at industrial relations is the impact of the company's human resources practices. These might include low productivity, absenteeism, high employee turnover, low job security, unsatisfactory or unsafe working environments, failure to recognize performance in pay plans, and lack of motivation, according to the International Labour Organisation. Small-business owners can address these problems by updating their HR practices and firing managers who create these problems. They can also address employee motivation, including rolling out more opportunities for training and advancement, pay for performance, performance incentives and worker recognition programs.

Work Climate

You can set up the most research-based HR policies in your firm, but employees will still judge the company by how it feels to work there. Look at how your leadership style affects employees and how your managers manage employees. If there are problems with worker performance among many workers or other indicators such as high turnover or absenteeism, you need to study what's causing those conditions. Start by introducing a new HR goal, such as introducing flexibility and participation into your management model; give managers and workers more authority to decide how to accomplish their goals.

Employee Attitudes

You can use an employee survey to study the sources of conflict or dissatisfaction in employees. They will have a wide range of attitudes about working for you. It's important to determine if they respect you as a leader and care about the company. These are signs of good employee relations and will usually produce better performance. Employees who love the company can often perform well even when faced with tough economic conditions, which may give them a bigger workload and fewer pay increases.