Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Drawing on the new institutional theory of organizations, this paper advocates an institutional approach to the analysis of workplace conflicts. I argue that institutional processes exert significant influences on the workers’ perceptions of the employer and the employment relationship. More specifically, workers’ expectations of fair treatments and their perceived likelihood of success with open confrontation are shaped by salient organizational characteristics and also vary with broader institutional context. Consistent with this view, empirical analysis of panel data from a national sample of multinational companies in China during the mid-1990s finds that large and capital-intensive firms and firms located in more developed and industrialized cities were more likely to experience labor disputes. These findings underscore the social construction of grievances and political choices in labor relations.