Measurement of industrial relations activities

Abstract

43 MAJOR CORPORATIONS PROVIDED DATA ON ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE AND EMPLOYMENT, AND RESPONSES TO A 38-ITEM INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACTIVITIES SCALE. WIDE VARIATIONS WERE FOUND BOTH IN THE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AND IN THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE ACTIVITIES IS CENTRALIZED AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL OR DECENTRALIZED INTO THE OPERATING UNITS OF THE COMPANY. INDICES OF ACTIVITY LEVEL AND ACTIVITY CENTRALIZATION SEEMED TO BE IN AGREEMENT WITH REPORTED POLICIES AND PRACTICES. THERE WERE CONSISTENT AND SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO CENTRALIZATION AS AMONG SPECIFIC INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACTIVITIES (E.G., UNION CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS ARE TYPICALLY CENTRALIZED, TIME AND MOTION STUDY IS TYPICALLY DECENTRALIZED). A SCALE FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CENTRALIZATION AND ACTIVITY LEVEL IN THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS FUNCTIONS WAS DEVELOPED. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)