The phenomenology of union decision-making:

A new way to enquire into reality

ABSTRACT: This paper inaugurates a discussion about the phenomenology of union decision-making.

Phenomenology provides a new lens that may enable us to gain penetrating insights into how unions function in the fractious world of human resources management. The present paper is preliminary to any fieldwork that may be undertaken. Its main purposes are to identify theory that could be the foundation of further practical work, relate recent work in the phenomenology of management to union practices and to propose directions of enquiry.

The relevant theory is that of Edmund Husserl who provides us with a practical method of enquiry into the real world of human resource practice.

Husserl’s work has already been applied in relation to local government functioning and some of the findings there appear relevant to the present enquiry. In particular, the nature and role of plebiscites.

The phenomenology of union decision-making

Ashish Mal ikNewcast le Business School

Robert ShawThe Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

Why un ions?

A research method

Phenomenology

Husser l ’ s techn ique

Our research programme

Today

Why unions?

I n t e r e s t d r a w n i n a w i d e r r e s e a r c h p r o g r a m m e !

Real world

Complexity

Limitat ions of sc ience

Phenomenology

A research method

The way in which knowledge appears

Hegel 1807

Husserl 1930s

Heidegger 1930s

Common method in :

Nursing ,Psychiatry

Teaching, Pol i t ics

Phenomenology

Bracket ing (phenomenological reduct ion)

Ski l l

Be with

El iminate categories

Seek essences

Husserl’s technique

ANZAM 2010

Husserl ’s Phenomenological Method in

Management

N o w f o r s o m e q u i c k b a c k g r o u n d t h e o r y . . .

Our research programme

M o d e r n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l i s m ’ s f o u n d a t i o n a l t e n s i o n

T h e c o n s e n t o f t h e p e o p l e

I n s t i t u t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e s t o c o n s t r a i n p o w e r

T r e n d s

L o c a l i z e d p o l i t i c s

G l o b a l a l t e r n a t i v e s

I n t e l l e c t u a l & p r a c t i c a l d e b a t e s a b o u t

J u s t i fi c a t i o n s o f l i b e r a l d e m o c r a c y & a l t e r n a t i v e s

R e fl e x i v e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l i s m – a g r e e o n h o w y o u w i l l a g r e e

.

Western democratic constitutionalism

M o d e l s o f d e m o c r a c y

S t a t e s

U n i o n s

C o m p a n i e s

A d h o c s o c i e t i e s

P u r p o s e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e o r y

I n s t r u m e n t a l

U t i l i t a r i a n f u n c t i o n s

L e g i t i m a t i n g

E n d i n i t s e l f

E x p r e s s i o n o f a n i d e a l

A s s e r t i o n o f e g a l i t a r i a n i s m

O p p o r t u n i t y f o r p r a c t i c e s

R e s e a r c h c o n c l u d e s

D i v e r s e p r a c t i c e s

U n c e r t a i n & i n d e t e r m i n a t e c h a r a c t e r

W e h a v e a n o t h e r w a y o f l o o k i n g a t d e m o c r a c y

Western democracies

Previous work: local government

The essence of local government Be with . . .

Try to e l iminate categories

What is the essence?

Previous work: findings

T h e e s s e n c e o f l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t

D e c i s i o n - m a k i n g

Vo t i n g

I m p e r a t i v e o f t h e v o t e

R a t i o n a l i t y u n n e c e s s a r y

D e m o c r a c y

We s t e r n d e m o c r a t i c n a t i o n s

P u r p o s e

I m p e r a t i v e s o f d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g

Fo r c e o f t h e v o t e

C o n fi r m a t i o n f o r t h e g e n e r a l t h e o r y

H u s s e r l i a n p r o g r a m m e s

J o h n S e a r l e – c o l l e c t i v e i n t e n t i o n a l i t y

S h a w & M a l i k – p h e n o m e n o l o g i c a l r e d u c t i o n

The enquiry into unions

The phenomenology of union decision-making:

A new way to enquire into reality

Thank you.