Promoting Social Dialogue in European Organizations : Human Resources Management and Constructive Conflict Management

This volume focuses on describing the social dialogue system in organizations from an Human Resources Management perspective. Based on the NEIRE model for industrial relations, key factors are determined contributing to creative social dialogue in European organizations. Actual data from surveys and interviews from more than 700 CEO and HR managers in eleven European countries give insights in the experiences with and expectations of employers of social dialogue. The volume offers a comprehensive introduction to the historical context and current situation in social dialogue in these countries. This context helps to understand the current major challenges in each country when it comes to a vital social dialogue. Using good practices from many organizations, this book offers an agenda for innovative and cooperative social dialogue in organizations.

Martin C. Euwema is Full Professor in Organizational Psychology at KU Leuven. He is specialized in conflict management, organizational changes and (international) leadership. He is chair of the research group Occupational and Organizational Psychology and professional learning and president of the International Association for Conflict Management. He is (co)author of more than 100 publications and is an experienced consultant, mediator and trainer.

Lourdes Munduate is full professor of Organizational Social Psychology at the University of Seville (Spain). She is the chair of the research group INDHRO and co-director of the Doctoral Program in Psychology of Human Resources. Her research focuses on conflict management, negotiation and mediation strategies, power dynamics, and employment relations. She is (co)author of more than 50 articles in international scientific journals and she also publishes regularly for practitioners. She has been the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) by University of Seville.

Patricia Elgoibar is Assistant Professor in negotiation at IESEG School of Management (France) and works in the coordination team of the project: New European industrial relations (NEIRE). Her scholarly interests are conflict management, labor relations, negotiation, gender equality and intercultural studies.

Together with Lourdes Munduate and Martin Euwema she is co-editor of the handbook “Ten steps for empowering worker representatives in the new European industrial relations”. Madrid: McGraw Hill, 2012. She is currently Western Europe regional representative for the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM).

Erica R. Pender is a PhD candidate through a joint degree at KU Leuven and the University of Seville, in the department of Work and Organizational Psychology. Her focus is on the role of trust in social dialogue. She is also a member of the coordination team of the European research project “New European Industrial Relations (NEIRE): Expectations of Employers on Employee representatives’ roles, attitudes and competencies to act as partners in social innovation” (VS/2012/0416).

After studying Psychology at the University of Seville, she obtained her MSc at Maastricht University in the specialization of Work and Organizational Psychology.

Ana Belén García (KU Leuven) is technical coordinator of the European research project “New European Industrial Relations (NEIRE): Expectations of Employers on Employee representatives’ roles, attitudes and competencies to act as partners in social innovation” (VS/2012/0416). She is Psychologist and obtained her Master in Work and Organizational Psychology through the Double degree of Maastricht University and the University of Seville. She worked as technical coordinator of the Master on Human Resources from University of Seville.

Ana Belén is also PhD candidate in Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Seville, supervised by Prof. Lourdes Munduate. Her focus is on conflict management in the context of European innovative labor relations.