CONFLICT MANAGEMENT The Psychology of conflict and conflict ...

340 OLSON-BUCHANAN AND BOSWELL
This change is even starting to take place in the union sector as well. True, the
structure of virtually all unionized workplaces still features “collective voice”
in the form of multistep appeal systems culminating in arbitration (Eaton &
Keefe, 1999). However, there is growing evidence that unions are increasingly
more accepting of alternative forms of voice, such as participative decision
making (e.g., Saturn; Rubinstein & Kochan, 2001) and joint labor-management
committees (e.g., Kaiser Permanente; McKersie, Eaton, & Kochan, 2004).
This trend is particularly encouraging because it is consistent with what
we have learned from the procedural choice literature. That is, one size
does not fit all. Individuals have varying preferences for ODR systems as a
function of individual differences (e.g., loyalty; Olson-Buchanan & Boswell,
2002), nature of the conflict (e.g., Bemmels, 1994), and relationship with the
disputants (e.g., Ewing, 1989) as well as several other procedural factors such
as the characteristics of the final decision maker (Arnold & O’Connor, 1999).
Indeed, offering a variety of ODR systems is consistent with the well-supported
contingency model approaches in the general conflict literature (e.g.,
Sheppard, 1984; Elangovan, 1995, 1998) and the conflict literature specific to
the organizational context as well (e.g., Jameson, 1999).
Offering several ODR system alternatives to employees within an organization
is an important step forward to ensure more desirable individual
outcomes, procedural fairness, and organizational effectiveness. Yet, as
will be explained more fully in the following section, the research suggests
that an even more comprehensive approach is needed to enhance
individual well-being and organizational functioning. That is, the entire
conflict experience, from the start of the dispute to the relationship among
the disputants after ODR use, needs to be examined more fully in the
research and considered more fully in practice.
future researCh DireCtions anD ChallenGes
We see future research directions as falling under one broad general
theme: broadening the scope of ODR system research to fully capture the
complex nature and process of conflict resolution in organizations. The
research, to date, primarily focused on a narrow aspect of dispute resolution,
whether it be comparing organizations with a certain ODR system with
those without that system or comparing individuals who used a certain
ODR system with those who did not use that particular system. We believe
to truly move this field of research forward it is critical to consider the full
process of dispute resolution in the particular context of organizations. The
process of dispute resolution involves experiencing and interpreting workplace
conflict, seeking remedy (or not) for that conflict, and the consequences
for the organization and the individual. This is a recursive process whereby
prior experiences with an ODR system have implications for later dispute
situations and resolution. The general research areas and the challenges
researchers face in examining these issues are discussed next.