Date of Conferral

7-24-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Sheryl Kristensen

Abstract

Manufacturing organizational cultures steeped in tradition, corporate loyalty, and paternalistic values have experienced a decrease in union employee engagement and organizational satisfaction. Manufacturing leaders are concerned with this decrease as a primary indicator of employee walkouts or union strikes, impeding the manufacturing process, and affecting market share, profitability, and local economies. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology study was to explore the union employees’ perceptions and lived experiences of organizational culture and job satisfaction in Michigan manufacturing organizations. Shaped by Schein’s organizational culture theory, the research question queried the perceptions of the union-represented employees as a subculture in the organization and their insights on organizational culture and job satisfaction. The participants were 13 former union-represented employees from the steel industry in Southeastern Michigan. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis. Themes one and two are continued legacy values with an increased focus on safety; the organizational union subculture felt like a family, providing protection and support. Themes three and four are physically demanding, mentally and emotionally challenging industry culture, and job satisfaction was positive, even though there was overall dissatisfaction with the organizational and industry culture. The implications for positive social change include the potential for manufacturing leaders to increase their awareness of unionized employees’ perceptions of the organizational culture and job satisfaction, increasing workforce stability and productivity, while strengthening relationships within organizations and unions.

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