AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CLIMATE IN THE PORT OF SINGAPORE AUTHORITY

Abstract

In the study of industrial relations. the development of concepts and theories have not kept pace with the gathering of facts and opinions from case studies and surveys (Bain and Clegg. 1974: Strauss and Feuille. 1978). It is due to this lack of fresh approaches in the study of industrial relations research that the impetus was provided to address the neglected area of conceptual development in industrial relations research. One way of doing so is to develop a greater correspondence between the fields of organisational behaviour and industrial relations through the concept of the industrial relations climate. The industrial relations climate or an organisation can be defined as a subset of organisational climate that refers to the general perceptions of organisational members with regards to the norms. attitudes and atmosphere surrounding the practice of union management relations. In the last ten years. the development of the industrial relations climate as a concept in industrial relations research has gathered momentum. This concept is now seen as an intervening variable between industrial relations inputs and outcomes based on the theoretical models first postulated by Dunlop (1958) and later expanded by Craig (1983) and Anderson et al. (1989). Based on the conceptual model developed by Dastmalchian et al., this academic exercise will attempt first, to determine the underlying dimensions of the industrial relations climate in the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) and second, to gauge the perceptions of the industrial relations climate amongst the different groups of employees in the organisation. The implications for the findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research will also be discussed.