Compromise, Confrontation, and Coercion: Formal and Informal Dispute Resolution in Cooperative and Hierarchical Worksites: Dissertation Summary

Authors

Elizabeth A. Hoffmann, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Award Type

Honorable Mention

Dissertation Advisor

Mark C. Suchman

Abstract

This study compares workplace dispute resolution strategies in matched pairs of hierarchical and non-hierarchical (worker-owned cooperative) organizations operating in four industries—coal mining, taxicab, whole foods, and homecare. Drawing on the themes from law and society, organizational theory, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and the sociology of gender, this research explores the impact of gender and of formal (i.e., official) and informal (i.e., unofficial) power on grievances and disputing strategies.

Link to dissertation full text