How do Managers Attempt to Solve the Labour Problem - Essay Example

However, the organisations in the post-modern era are also affected by the conflicts between the labours or the workers and the managers who are liable to supervise and control them. Conflicts or disputes may also arise within an organisation amid the co-workers which are again to be managed efficiently by the managers. According to most of the recent studies based on a similar context, it have been revealed that disputes between managers and the subordinate employees have emerged to be a common phenomenon in majority of the organisations irrespective of their size or industry (Bratton & Gold, 2011: 238).

The discussion in this paper will consider the concept of ‘right to manage’ possessed by the organisational managers and its impact on the schemas adopted by them to control the workplace disputes. The traditional and the contemporary methods will further be taken into consideration so as to identify the constraints faced by the managers in dealing with the issue. Hereby, the ultimate objective of the paper will be to provide a rational explanation to the strategies adopted by the managers in an attempt to minimise the disputes arising within the workplace.

The Concept of ‘Right to Manage’ The concept of ‘right to manage’ in this context deals with the fundamental or principle responsibilities of the managers to control the disputes between the organisation and its employees along with those taking place amid the employees working together (Storey, 1983: 98). According to Harris (1982: 98), managerial strategies adopted so as to control this issue are largely depended on the managerial prerogative approach adhered by the organisations operating in an economy.

For instance, during the post world-war situation in 1944 and the later years, organisations in the American economy witnessed significant discrepancies in relation to labour disputes. One of the main causes for these issues to take place was the sudden increase of production in the industries due to the inclusion of more efficient techniques and machineries. This in turn forced the industry players to sell in larger proportion to manage the flow of production and thus maintain their break-even point at a sustainable position.

The inclusion of up-to-date technologies also resulted in higher cost of production motivating the industry players to adopt cost retrenchment measures. It is in this context that the organisations had to witness noteworthy issues related to labour resistance and insignificant co-operation among the workers. Although the problem of overcapacity was minimised in the later years, the disputes between the management and the labours still existed (Harris, 1982: 102). With reference to this illustration or the situation faced by organisations in the later period of the second world-war, it can be stated that managerial prerogative to consider either their ‘property rights’ or their ‘right to contract’ or both has a significant impact on the disputes between the labour force and the management.

The ‘property management rights’ indicate the quantitative aspects of managerial ideology, i.e. to increase the profitability, competency and market share of the