• Weinert D
• Derby D
• Paustian K

• Attitude
• Education, Chiropractic / Canada
• Education, Chiropractic / United States
• Faculty, Chiropractic / organization and administration
• Labor Unions
• Open Access Document
• Workplace / legislation and jurisprudence

Objective: We surveyed differences in trust, perceptions of justice, perception of conflict, attitudes toward change, and innovation between unionized and non-unionized faculty at chiropractic colleges.

Methods: Survey respondents were full-time chiropractic college faculty. Data analysis included independent T-Tests and linear regression. Scaled means for resistance to change, justice, trust, conflict and climate for innovation were utilized based on the factor structures resulting from factor analysis.

Results: Independent T-Tests found significant differences in resistance to change, trust and perceptions of conflict between unionized and non-unionized faculty. Unionized faculty exhibited higher supervisor trust, routine seeking, and perceived higher faculty-administrative conflict when compared to their non-unionized counterparts. Non-unionized faculty perceived higher faculty-to-faculty conflict. Linear regression showed significant differences in resistance to change (routine seeking), trust in the supervisor, conflict between faculty members and conflict between faculty and administration. Although significant relationships were observed, union status accounted for only a minor amount of variance in the dependent variables.

Discussion: The results indicate unionized faculty within chiropractic colleges significantly differ in that they are more resistant to change, perceive greater trust in their supervisor, perceive less conflict between faculty members, but perceive more conflict between faculty and administration. Union status accounted for minor variance in the dependent variables.

Conclusion: This study found a significant difference between union and non-union employees and their appraisal of resistance to change, trust in their supervisor, and conflict. Union status predicted respondents’ appraisal of resistance to change, trust, and conflict.

Author keywords: Chiropractic; Medical Education

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