Negotiating High Performance-Focused Partnerships: The Five Stages of Effective Labor Management Negotiations

Negotiating High Performance-Focused Partnerships: The Five Stages of Effective Labor Management Negotiations investigates labor-management contract negotiations in an operational context. The textbook is designed to guide readers through five key stages of contract negotiations, aiming to align human resources and negotiation strategies with broader business objectives for optimizing workplace performance and institutional competitiveness.

The book addresses the detailed processes and dynamics of negotiations, emphasizing strategy development, meticulous planning and preparation, opening discussions, the core bargaining phase, and the crucial final stages of achieving agreements. Readers learn about building authentic union-management partnerships, interest-based bargaining for mutually beneficial outcomes, and pragmatic handling of economic packages. These topical areas are presented within the broader framework of promoting effective, high performance-focused workplace operations.

Negotiating High Performance-Focused Partnerships serves as a vital tool for those involved directly or indirectly in organizational collective bargaining and negotiations. It is ideal for courses and programs in human resource management, labor relations, and organizational behavior.

William N. Cooke is a professor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University, where he served as the director from 2008 to 2019. He holds a Ph.D. from the Institute of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois.

John D. Butler recently retired from Textron Inc., where he served on its Executive Leadership Team as Executive Vice President Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer. He holds a master's degree in HR and labor relations from Michigan State University and post-graduate degree in Organizational Leadership from Oxford University.

Thomas D. Posey recently retired from Pfanstiehl as Vice President of People and Development and is Principal of Posey Associates LLC. He is a graduate of Youngstown State University, the Scenarios Programme of the University of Oxford, and the CHRO Academy of the National Academy of Human Resources.