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Relational Exchange in Non-union Firms: A Configurational Framework for Workplace Dispute Resolution and Voice

Author

Listed:
  • Ariel C. Avgar

Abstract

For much of the 20th century, a sizeable proportion of the workforce in the United States had access to a combination of dispute resolution and voice options through the union grievance process. The vast majority of today’s workforce, however, no longer does. The focus of this article is the proliferation of alternative relational exchange models developed in non-union firms. The author develops a theoretical framework proposing variation in the overarching non-union models employed by firms as a function of distinct organizational features and strategies. These models are the product of distinct configurations of voice and dispute-resolution strategies. The author proposes five alternative non-union models, discusses the internal and external characteristics associated with them, and evaluates distinct employer and worker outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Ariel C. Avgar, 2021. "Relational Exchange in Non-union Firms: A Configurational Framework for Workplace Dispute Resolution and Voice," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(3), pages 607-636, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:74:y:2021:i:3:p:607-636
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793921989615
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alexander J. S. Colvin, 2013. "Participation Versus Procedures in Non-Union Dispute Resolution," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52, pages 259-283, January.
    2. David B. Lipsky & Ariel C. Avgar & J. Ryan Lamare, 2020. "Organizational Conflict Resolution and Strategic Choice: Evidence from a Survey of Fortune 1000 Firms," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(2), pages 431-455, March.
    3. Mark Bray & John W. Budd & Johanna Macneil, 2020. "The Many Meanings of Co‐Operation in the Employment Relationship and Their Implications," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(1), pages 114-141, March.
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    5. Dionne M. Pohler & Andrew A. Luchak, 2014. "Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Voice," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(4), pages 1063-1094, October.
    6. Alexander J.S. Colvin, 2003. "Institutional Pressures, Human Resource Strategies, and the Rise of Nonunion Dispute Resolution Procedures," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(3), pages 375-392, April.
    7. Ariel Avgar, 2020. "Integrating Conflict: A Proposed Framework for the Interdisciplinary Study of Workplace Conflict and Its Management," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(2), pages 281-311, March.
    8. Corinne Bendersky, 2007. "Complementarities in Organizational Dispute Resolution Systems: How System Characteristics Affect Individuals' Conflict Experiences," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 60(2), pages 204-224, January.
    9. Thomas A. Kochan & Duanyi Yang & William T. Kimball & Erin L. Kelly, 2019. "Worker Voice in America: Is There a Gap between What Workers Expect and What They Experience?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(1), pages 3-38, January.
    10. Zev J. Eigen & Adam Seth Litwin, 2014. "Justice or Just between Us? Empirical Evidence of the Trade-off between Procedural and Interactional Justice in Workplace Dispute Resolution," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(1), pages 171-201, January.
    11. Rosemary Batt & Alexander J.S. Colvin & Jeffrey Keefe, 2002. "Employee Voice, Human Resource Practices, and Quit Rates: Evidence from the Telecommunications Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 55(4), pages 573-594, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Duanyi Yang & Tingting Zhang, 2025. "Voice without Representation: Worker Voice in China’s Networked Public Sphere," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 78(5), pages 754-779, October.
    2. Ariel C. Avgar & Alexander J. S. Colvin & Harry C. Katz & Katrina G. Nobles, 2023. "A fragmented and heavily privatized dispute resolution system: The United States," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4-5), pages 304-320, July.
    3. Jimmy Donaghey & Niall Cullinane & Tony Dundon & Tony Dobbins & Eugene Hickland, 2022. "Employee choice of voice and non‐union worker representation," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(6), pages 503-522, November.
    4. Virginia Doellgast & Matthew Bidwell & Alexander J. S. Colvin, 2021. "New Directions in Employment Relations Theory: Understanding Fragmentation, Identity, and Legitimacy," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(3), pages 555-579, May.

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