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The language of integrative collective bargaining

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Jean-Etienne Joullié  and
Robert Spillane
Jean-Etienne Joullié*
Affiliation:
Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait; Université Laval, Québec city, Canada
Robert Spillane
Affiliation:
Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
*
Jean-Etienne Joullié, Business Administration Department, West Mishref Hawally, Hawally, Kuwait 32093, Kuwait. Email: joullie.j@gust.edu.kw; jean-etienne.joullie.1@ulaval.ca
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Abstract

Although collective bargaining is essentially a communication process, the role of language (as distinguished from discourse) in bargaining exchanges has received little attention from industrial relations scholars. Building on the work of Karl Popper, this article proposes a decomposition of language into functions and values and analyses their relevance when parties to a collective bargaining encounter engage in an integrative process. The proposed framework provides labour negotiators seeking integrative outcomes with linguistic guidelines and scholars with a tool to analyse bargaining exchanges.

Keywords

J52Authoritybargainingintegrative outcomeslanguage
Type
Rethinking work organisation and labour relations
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 472 - 488
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021

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