Citation
(2000), "Remember the monster", Work Study, Vol. 49 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2000.07949daa.003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited
Remember the monster
Drive along the shores of Loch Ness on almost any day of the year and there will be a small - or large - band of people with binoculars trained on the loch, looking for signs of "the monster". This is in the absence of any scientific evidence supporting the myth. Yet, the myth (as with most) endures. There seems to be a need in mankind to believe in the strange and the supernatural. This trend to bypass the evidence also applies at simpler levels. In industrial relations, for example, both sides in any potential dispute will filter information through their prejudices and interpret the same "facts" in different ways. Any effective negotiator must understand where his/her opponent "is coming from" and how their fundamental beliefs and values will shape their views, their interpretation of actions and events, their aspirations and their fall-back positions. When in difficult negotiations, remember the Loch Ness monster - it explains a lot!