The process of consultation: responding to challenge

This paper investigates the fragility of consultation processes when faced with inter-party differences arising inside or outside the consultation arena. Such differences can disrupt cooperation, damage desired trust relations and jeopardise potential mutual benefits. The analysis draws on parallels between consultative and integrative bargaining processes, highlighting inter-party and intra-party dynamics, forcing and fostering strategies and the key role of trust relations. This framework is used to interpret observations from real-time fieldwork in two case study firms. The results underline the importance of understanding consultation as process and within that, the critical role or trust in its different dimensions.