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Understanding Cooperative Behavior in Labor Management Cooperation: A Theory‐Building Exercise
Author(s) -
Ospina Sonia,
Yaroni Allon
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/1540-6210.00308
Subject(s) - promotion (chess) , perspective (graphical) , general partnership , public relations , action (physics) , value (mathematics) , adversarial system , business , work (physics) , management theory , labor relations , political science , economics , management , computer science , mechanical engineering , physics , finance , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , machine learning , politics , law , engineering
This article proposes a theory of how mandated institutional cooperation transforms into individual cooperative behavior. Using qualitative strategies, we draw insights about cooperation in three public‐sector efforts of labor‐management cooperation (LMC). We report an association between critical shifts in the roles of stakeholders and the change from adversarial to cooperative labor relations. While managers became team players along with their employees, labor representatives assumed managerial responsibilities. These changes were also associated with a service‐oriented perspective, better understanding of the other's experiences, and a view of cooperation as partnership. At the heart of these transformations, we found critical changes in communication patterns associated with incrementally growing levels of trust. We propose a model that depicts the links between collective and individual levels of organizational action related to LMC. We conclude that the positive shifts in mental models regarding work and the value of cooperation justify the promotion of LMC efforts.