The first description of collective bargaining by Beatrice Webb and her partner in 1891 referred to it as the process that allows workers to gather together and send a representative to negotiate, on their behalf, the terms and conditions of their employment (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 227). Other definitions for collective bargaining by more scholars describe it as the negotiation or joint decision-making between representatives of both employees’ and employers’ interests (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 227). Collective bargaining is typically done within an outline of procedures, rules, as well as rights, and it is therefore considered the most advanced form of collective voice (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 227). The next paragraphs will describe how collective bargaining works within an organization.
Collective bargaining can take different forms, either as single-employer bargaining or as multi-employer bargaining (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 228). Single-employer bargaining refers to when an individual employer negotiates at the workplace level with labor unions, while in multi-employer negotiation, at least one labor union negotiates with one or more employers’ associations (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 228). The degree of bargaining centralization can also be one of two- centralized or decentralized. Centralized bargaining infers that agreements made at the national level are the central form that regulates the terms of employment, whereas decentralized bargaining indicates that agreements made at the company level predominate (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 229). Finally, bargaining can also be done in multi-levels; national and company levels; which allows further differentiation in the degree of coordination between the levels (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 229).
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Generally, four broad steps are followed during the negotiation process (Brown, n.d.) These steps are; preparing for negotiations, negotiating, followed by the signing of the agreement, and finally, a follow-up action (Brown, n.d.). The stage of preparation involves consultations to find out the needs of each party to ensure a clear agenda for the negotiation are outlaid (Brown, n.d.). The employees’ representative then put forward their proposals, or the employer can do positive bargaining by offering their suggestions for consideration by the employees’ representative (Brown, n.d.).
During the bargaining process, a methodology for bargaining by objectives gets set, and the targets can be classified as either financial or non-financial items (Brown, n.d.). The goals can also be put in a range as realistic, optimistic, or pessimistic (Brown, n.d.). Realistic objectives are those that the bargaining parties view as based on facts and thus achievable; while optimistic goals are those that a negotiator thinks can be achieved; and lastly, pessimistic objectives are goals that would be possible if things went unexpectedly (Brown, n.d.). The final agreement which is signed can be a procedure agreement or a substantive agreement (Brown, n.d.), and the follow-up action refers to the period of implementation of the contract.
Collective bargaining usually gets characterized by conflict, and its distinction is in its role to enable formal negotiations between organizations that represent the interests of employees and workers (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 278). It serves to minimize direct voice forms like individual worker involvement, and in so doing it helps to reduce conflicts, facilitate restructuring, promote trust, and reduce employee turnover within an organization (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 227). Nationally, collective bargaining has been linked with a reduction in the rate of strikes, wage moderation, and better productivity (Doellgast & Benassi, 2014, p. 277).
In conclusion, the above paragraphs have described collective bargaining, the types, and steps followed in the collective negotiations. Although collective bargaining has disadvantages- such as resulting in loss of individual differences and its potential for use for political gain- it plays a crucial role in ensuring that every employee gets represented while also ensuring cooperation from both parties, and it generally improves the well-being of workers.
Shared Governance
Shared governance refers to an innovation that allows healthcare professionals to have control over the decision- making in their practice, and at the same time extending their influence to areas of administration that were previously under the supervision of managers (Glasscock, 2012, p. 3). Shared governance is a means to form a structure that can meet the needs of the patient as well as the professional needs of the caregiver (Glasscock, 2012, p. 3), and its ultimate goal is to increase the engagement of nurses, improve patient outcomes, and decrease vacancy and turnover (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Below is a description of shared governance and how shared governance gets implemented.
Three professional governance structures that can get employed in the practice of shared governance have gotten outlined as councilor, congressional, and administrative; and every organization has to select the model that suits the organization as it changes (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Councilor structure uses councils to handle processes and decision making, while the congressional structure has elected officers who oversee operations (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Organizational structure, on the other hand, divides authority between administrative functions and clinical staff (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4).
The stages of implementation of shared governance start from making the changes in persons and the system, followed by making changes in the structure to support the new process, and lastly reinforcing the new patterns (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Several structural elements influence the fruitful execution of shared governance. These include demarcation of roles, support to leadership, communication plans, support to the management, education, clear vision, and decision-making processes (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4), among others. Besides, in the implementation of shared governance, many factors play vital roles for leaders. Some of these factors are appropriateness and clarity of presented issues, having satisfactory background data, setting a clearly outlined expected result, and having a leader who is given the suitable level of authority (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Other factors are the presence of a key informant in addition to coaching as well as having regular membership and attendance (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4).
The designing and implementation of the chosen model of shared governance form only the first step (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). This is because the implementation’s viability is supported by reshaping and maintaining the culture after application (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Achieving this cultural change during the execution is essential in the sustainability of the organization’s restructuring (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4). Finally, planning for implementation requires an evaluation of the supporting structures to raise the efficiency of the chosen governance model (Glasscock, 2012, p. 4).
In conclusion, shared governance is crucial since it allows nurses to use their knowledge and proficiency to determine their practice standards. Additionally, shared governance permits networking and collaboration of nurses among different departments. However, despite these advantages, the implementation of shared governance may present obstacles for the leadership, and for rural facilities, resources may not be readily available for the timely implementation of the governance structure (Glasscock, 2012, p. 36).
References
Brown, Z. (n.d.). Chapter 6 Process of Collective Bargaining. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/32037263/Chapter_6_Process_of_Collective_Bargaining
Doellgast, V., & Benassi, C., (2014). Collective bargaining. Handbook of Research on Employee Voice , 227-246. doi:10.4337/9780857939272.00023
Glasscock, S., (2012). Implementation of shared governance. Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones , 1-51. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=tdc
