ABSTRACT
Chapters 7 and 8 revealed that partnership in Aer Rianta was associated neither with widespread opinion that unions were effective, nor with general approbation with respect to the consequences of CP for decision-making or understanding and trust between management and employees. These chapters also revealed, however, that experiences of aspects of CP in the main had positive effects on perceptions of the climate of industrial relations and on commitment to both unions and the company. This chapter examines whether significant numbers of employees were committed to both the company and the union: characterized, in other words, by ‘dual commitment’. The chapter begins by considering why dual commitment might be found in organizations with formal partnership arrangements, and by reporting international research on dual commitment and industrial relations practices. It then examines conceptual issues and problems that arise in the study of dual commitment. The chapter’s main research findings are then reported and interpreted in the concluding section in the context of the discussion of the introduction of CP in Aer Rianta in Chapters 3-6.
