Industrial Relations

What Is Power & Authority in Industrial Relations? X Power and authority are the same in industrial relations as they are anywhere else. The basic concept of industrial relations involves the interaction between management and labor, as well as ownership and management. Authority and power are at the center of this field, which examines industry, as the main productive mechanism of a nation, and the method by which millions make a living. The way that power and authority are used in the workplace is important for basic moral goods like liberty, equality, fairness and merit. Power and Authority Power is a more abstract concept than authority. It can be found in every sphere of life. Power is the ability of one person to use another person as a means to an end. In the field of industrial relations, power is about using the ownership of capital to control labor. Authority, by contrast, is the legal and/or moral right to use power. The Concept of Collectivism & Individualism in Industrial Relations The concept of collectivism and individualism in industrial relations addresses the issue of what's best for the individual worker in terms of representation. It weighs individualism, in which an individual employee negotiates on his own behalf as a corporate asset or resource, against collectivism, in which employees join a union and allow the union to negotiate with the company on their Individualism · Individualism allows employees to directly engage corporate management and negotiate wages, salaries and benefits. An employee can negotiate based on her individual merits and values to the company. Collectivism · Under the collectivism concept, individuals choose to benefit from the collective bargaining power of a union. Unions have been a foundation in U.S. industrial relations since the United Steel Workers (USW) union emerged in the second half of the 1800s. Comparison · To determine which option is applicable, individuals must consider many factors, including