Unions as Organizations : Strategy versus Environment

Abstract

Empirical studies typically examine unions in aggregate, that is, whether union presence or absence affects important outcomes. Only recently have researchers analyzed unions as distinct organizations. In order to address this void in the literature, key union officials were surveyed regarding their unions’ ability to manage and shape their environment, as well as selected critical strategic issues. The results suggest that unions can and do take measures to manage their environments and control their destinies, but consistent with some prior work, union strategy is best seen as “emergent” from cumulative choices rather than a “grand design.”