ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers how workers address formal and informal workplace disputes in the absence of formal hierarchy. It compares employees' dispute resolution strategies at worker co-operatives and conventional businesses. Extant research suggests that organizational structure, ownership, and ideology greatly affect how employees address their problems at work. The book draws on several literatures to address various predictions regarding dispute resolution in worker co-operatives. Some industrial relations literature cautions that worker co-operatives might not constitute viable alternatives to conventional, hierarchical businesses because worker co-operatives may be less efficient and less likely to succeed. The book examines what workplace disputes are and why they are both difficult and important to study. It explores an innovation in workplace organization, worker co-operatives and presents the possibility for improving working conditions in a variety of industries.
