Control in industrial relations: regulation and decision-making in a Singapore enterprise

Abstract

This thesis approaches .the study of industrial relations from a very basic feature of social and organisational behaviour. Because the various activities, relationships and phenomena in industrial relations are essentially manifestations of control, the concept of control, it is argued, has tremendous potential for substantive theorising. At a theoretical level, the research has developed a definition of the field of industrial relations and proposes the integration and balance of the 'action' and 'environmental' schools of thought, via the notion of the 'industrial relations setting'. The concept of control developed in the thesis brings together various ideas and theories developed in industrial relations and the other behavioural areas of the social sciences. The method proposed for research, investigation and practice is situational, i.e. using concepts as they apply to the situation being considered. The primary purpose of the exercise, however, was to investigate a practical issue. The practical investigation focuses on the nature of control in the Singapore situation, in particular, the issues relating to job control in Singapore's shipbuilding and repairing industry. The study scans the environmental factors and closes in on the local factors - objectives, perceptions, motivation, power and influence, held by the various actors: State, management, union and the workers. While at the macro-level the study shows a picture of peace and stability between the powerful entities - State, management and union, the research also uncovers the not-so-healthy implications of problems on the shopfloor. The thesis concludes with suggestions and points to the challenges of the future.