Industrial relations environment, participatory management and collective bargaining process in public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

Industrial relations is a key ingredient to any effective organization worldwide given the enormous role it plays in enhancing democratic processes as evidenced by the emergence of trade unions for purposes of collective bargaining on employees’ wages and other terms and conditions of service. Extant studies have shown that ineffective Collective Bargaining Process (CBP) leads to hostile industrial relations environment. Although scholars agree that Industrial Relations Environment (IRE) plays a critical part in enhancing CBP, there is still a scarcity of empirical evidence in industrial relations. While some studies have tested the relationship between IRE and CBP, the influence of participatory management has received little attention. This investigation looked at whether participatory management affects the way IRE and CBP interact at Kenyan public universities. The specific objectives of the study were: to determine the influence of human resource management (HRM) practices on collective bargaining process, to assess the influence of union-management relations on CBP in public universities, to determine the influence power of parties to CB on CBP, as well as the moderating effect of participatory management on the link between IRE and CBP. The study was anchored on Dunlop's Industrial Systems theory and complemented by Pluralist, Unitary, Radical, Stakeholders, Institutional, and Participatory Theories. The study used a cross-sectional survey, a sequential explanatory research design. The study utilized pragmatic paradigm and a mixed techniques methodology. The 1462 members and administrators of the Kenya Universities Staff Union who made up the study's target group included eight key informants—four from each university—and 1087 people from Moi University and 375 people from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Using the Yamane formula, a sample of 314 respondents was obtained. While qualitative information was gathered through an interview schedule with 8 key informants who had been specifically chosen, quantitative information was gathered using standardized questionnaires with items anchored on a 5-point Likert scale from respondents chosen at random from each stratum. It was decided to evaluate the data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics were analysed using correlation, linear and hierarchical regression. The regression results indicated that HRM practices (β=0.388, p<0.05), union management relations (β=0.204, p<0.05) and power relations of parties to collective bargaining (β=0. 228, p<0.05) have a positive and significant influence on collective bargaining process. Further, participatory management positively and significantly moderated the relationship between HRM practices and CBP (β=0.628, p<0.05) whereas it negatively and insignificantly moderated the relationship between union management relations and CBP (β= -0.996, p>0.05) and power relations of parties to collective bargaining and collective bargaining process (β=-0.205, p>0.05) The study concluded that HRM practices, union management relations, power relations of parties to collective bargaining influence CBP and that this effect is partly positively and significantly moderated by participatory management. The study lends credence to the idea that IRE affects CBP and that participative management must be taken into account for efficient CBP and harmonious IRE. The study suggests that in order for public universities to have an efficient collective bargaining process, they should implement participatory management techniques, support good union management relations, and use HRM approaches. In this study, 58% of the variation in CBP was explained by IRE and participatory management. This means that other factors not examined in this study should not be disregarded and should be taken into account in subsequent research for greater understanding and knowledge in Kenya and elsewhere.