Date of Conferral
3-5-2024
Date of Award
March 2024
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
WooYoung Chung
Abstract
The relationship between unions and management is particularly critical for food service firms, which rely heavily on unionized employees to meet operational needs. Food service managers are concerned with ineffective strategies for engaging with unions because managing these ineffective relationships jeopardizes employee retention and the firm's performance. Grounded in authentic leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies food service managers use to develop and maintain an effective union-management relationship for retaining unionized employees. The participants were six food service managers from three large food service firms who implemented success strategies to develop and maintain an effective union-management relationship for retaining employees. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged: (a) balanced processing strategies, (b) relational transparency strategies, (c) self-awareness strategies, and (d) robust moral code strategies. A key recommendation is for food service managers to show that employees are valued and important assets to the firm by listening to and including them in decision-making. The implications for positive social change have the potential for food service managers to reduce staff turnover and enhance employee retention and labor-management relationships that could result in improved performance, thus promoting enhanced welfare and well-being among the families of employees in the local communities.
Recommended Citation
Hall, Nichola A., "Strategies for Effective Labor-Management Relationships in the Foodservice Industry" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15405.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15405
