As I watch the news about the state worker unrest in several states, I have to reflect on what this has to do with different types of organizations and different organizational cultures.
We need to remember that we have the "old style" organization and the "new style" organization. The old style one was often engaged in manufacturing and needed a lot of employees who were good at following directions and obeying rules. In fact, a manager at one of these organizations actually didn't want creative people who had the ability to think on their feet. These people had a greater tendency to be disruptive and might not follow the rules.
Today, most of our most successful organizations are of the newer type. These organizations are more apt to be in the service field, have a goal of serving the customer, and have a need to accomplish this fact in the most efficient manner. These organizations need to have creative people who will give better customer service and accomplish the task in a more efficient manner.
From my perspective, it seems that unions are hold-overs from the old style organization. It seems that they want all employees to act the same, work for the same salary scale built on experience, and have the same fringe benefits. Unfortunately, the assumption that everyone is the same is not a vilid one.
People are not the same. Some employees do a better job than others. Some are more creative. Some come up with creative ways to be more efficient. Some actually serve customers better than do others. Since most managers would like to pay better employees more money as a system of incentive, they want to be able to reward based on performance rather than based on experience. But, from my viewpoint, that idea seems to be opposite what I read is wanted by the unions.
I guess the real thing goes back to the desires of the owners of the organization. Do they want to be part of the more successful modern organization, or are they willing to replicate the old style organization. It would seem that the Governor of Wisconsin wants his state government to move into the newer thinking ways of more successful organizations.
