Power is defined as the ability of altering the situation realities. It therefore affects the way decisions are made on a bargaining table. When someone gets power, he definitely gets all what he/she wants. The most powerful side in a bargaining table tends to influence the way a decision is made or derived. This hence creates the idea of some parties being more significant than others are (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). In this paper, we discuss the negotiations between Boeing Company and its labor unions.
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Boeing is planning to build 777X in Seattle if it gets concessions on wages and benefits from its unions. The inability of the company getting concessions with the union means that the planned project will not be started any time soon.
The paper hence tries to explain who between the two parties has more powers. The basis of the greater power and the reasons why one party is more powerful than the other are also discussed and outlined. The recommendations are hence outlined on how the other party can do in order to increase its power in the near future.
It is worth noting that Boeing Management has more power than the union. This is because of its position in the negotiations. The Boeing management controls a lot in the negotiations table. It is hence considered the most powerful among the parties since it will directly influence the direction of the negotiations outcome.
The reasons as to why Boeing is considered more powerful are hence not easily escapable in this negotiation. First, Boeing management is enjoying the attribute of position or legitimacy. The management team members are holding very powerful positions in the company making them control or manipulate the decision making process.
The union accepts the role and duties of Boeing management team and hence their positions in the negotiations will weigh more than counterparts do. The unions who are considered subordinates in this case, have accepted the fact that they must respect the ideas of their seniors and hence they tend not to decline any offer that happens to be placed on the negotiations table.
The Boeing management would otherwise not enjoy this attribute if the union fails to consider their positions in the running of the institutions. The Boeing management is clearly going to undermine the various points raised from the union side due to the believe that they understands less about the company considering their positions.
Secondly, the Boeing management team has control over inducements and rewards. They hence determine who to promote and who to sack (Vince, 2001). The positions of the management team members makes decisions on the assignments and salaries increase hence making them powerful than the union members. The union members will definitely shy away from being identified and hence marked by their seniors in matters regarding their job validity and career.
In so doing, the one who is having the authority of promoting and increase payment over the other enjoys the power attribute and hence influences the decision making process of the other (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). The union is composed of employees of Boeing Company and hence their job and promotion security is dependent on their relationship with the management team. It would hence be impossible to pressurize their bosses on matters regarding the concessions.
The Boeing management team is definitely respected by its employees union. It therefore enjoys and gains more power over the union due to its respectable status. The power gained through respect means will make the union fall into the decision most propelled by the management team. The employees’ rights may hence go unnoticed and their cry unheard for a long time (Vince, 2001).
It is also worth noticing that the management team has more information regarding the company’s operations and financial capacity than the union. It would therefore utilize the information gap through propelling its side of bargain (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). The management hence takes information richness as a source of power making it control the decision made by the union through influence. On the negotiation table, the parties battle each other through facts and findings that are highly based on the level of information present to either of the parties.
The ability of the management team to give punishments and sanctions also acts as a source of influence and power (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). The union being composed of Boeing employees can be punished or threatened by the management team in order to make it alive into concessions. The threat makes the union comply with everything the management team wishes to pass-across.
The punishment can hence be oriented to specific individuals who may happen to have been identified by the management through their rough and disrespectful nature. This form of power is considered to be the weakest influence and power form in remunerative organizations. Effects attached to punishment are not always predictable as to those of rewards. Negative attitude is administered to the recipient of punishment making him prone to sanctions and demotions (Zartman and Rubin, 2004).
The union that is characterized by having less power about the negotiations can achieve the power in future through adherence to some improvement processes. The union should try to create dependencies with the Boeing Company so as to make it completely relevant to the operations of the company. This means, there is nothing the company can undertake without the involvement of the union.
In so doing, the union will be much relevant and its negotiation powers will increase steadily. The expertise of the union members should be highly considered making the them more professional in their line of duty and hence the company can never get the same kind of services from anywhere else (Dale and Burrell, 2008). This can only be achieved through continuous training and practicality in the areas of specialization making the quality of work produced highly recommendable and irreplaceable (Zartman and Rubin, 2004).
The union will hence control the operation of the entire industry making it gain more power and significance. The union should ensure it unity is strengthened making the process of decision making unified as the members dance to the same tune. In so doing, it will be difficult for the management team to issue threats to the union and hence unable to force them into self-derived conclusions (Zartman and Rubin, 2004).
The union should be well informed concerning the matters surrounding the workplace making each bit of necessary information absorbed and well understood. The increased information capacity will make the union make constant and unshakeable decisions.
The management can hence not outdo the union on the negotiations table since the ability to convince will always find an opposing power. Information richness is hence considered as knowledge source making the union more powerful than never before (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). The union should also try to gain some respect from the management.
This can be achieved through rejecting unnecessary strikes callings that always ruin their reputation and image to the public. Respect comes with honor and hence the union will receive a changed mentality from the management. The management will tend to view the union as representing sensible and respectable ideas on the negotiation table making it tend to consider and upheld them. Respected unions are hence powerful and their decisions are obviously obeyed and the necessary done (Nicolson, 2013). It would hence be impossible for the management team to turn down the wages and allowances in question.
In conclusion, it is clearly noticed that power derives and influences the decision making process. When one gets power, he/she gets anything she wants or deserves. Power is hence considered to be highly valued taking in mind that some organizations or individuals misuse the power in their own hands. Power goes hand in hand with influence (Zartman and Rubin, 2004).
The acquisition of power is expensive but it returns are much sweet than imagined. Power is hence based on legitimacy or position, respect, expertise, information, inducements or rewards and sanctions or punishments. Most unions lack the negotiations powers due to inability to acquire necessary information, respect and solidarity of its members (Vince, 2001). They then tend to dance on the tune of the management teams making their members oppressed and misused (Zartman and Rubin, 2004). The management makes use of their superior management positions to issue threats and punishments to those who contrary to the company’s will.
References
Zartman, I. W., & Rubin, J. Z. (Eds.). (2004). Power and negotiation. University of Michigan Press.
Dale, K., & Burrell, G. (2008). The spaces of organisation and the organisation of space: Power, identity and materiality at work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Nicolson, P. (2013). Gender, power and organisation. Routledge.
Vince, R. (2001). Power and emotion in organizational learning. Human Relations, 54(10), 1325-1351.