An Alternate Approach to Labor-Management Relations

The research on which this article is based was supported by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant MH-16437) and the School of Business Administration, University of Colorado. The authors are indebted to David Summers, Kenneth Boulding, Thomas Stewart, Ernest Flack, Peter Boyle, Karene Will, Margaret Marshall, and the six negotiators from Dow Chemical Company and the Allied and Technical Workers' Union for their assistance. This study applies social judgment theory and interactive computer graphics to labor-management negotiations.1 It is based on a reenactment of actual negotiations. Self-understanding and understanding of one's counterpart were found generally to be poor. Union negotiators showed a high degree of agreement with one another whereas management did not. Two pairs of negotiators given feedback from the computer graphics device achieved consensus. Participants reported gaining new insights and indicated that the use of interactive graphics is feasible and desirable.