Negotiation and the alignment of knowledge workers with organisational goals. (2019) - Sandvik, Alexander Madsen
We investigate the alignment of work groups of knowledge workers with organisational goals in two large Norwegian companies. We explore whether negotiation processes are associated with positive organisational outcomes. We further explore whether clear management goals are necessary for successful negotiations. Finally, over and above goal clarity, we draw on past research to explore six antecedents of successful negotiation. We observe that successful negotiation processes both within work groups and between groups and management are associated with positive organisational outcomes. We further note that while goal clarity is necessary, it is not a sufficient condition for successful negotiations. We find that while the six antecedents for successful negotiations identified by previous research are in evidence, the presence of all six is not essential to success. Further, we find three antecedents not predicted by negotiation theory: the need to achieve stable work group membership before group formation; the need to avoid large groups with disparate professional backgrounds; and the positive function of managers acting as organisational advocates for work group approaches.