Opening to the World through the Lived Body: Relating Theory and Practice in Organisation Consulting

Against the background of a deep crisis in trade union representation, the authors seek to determine some possible starting points for a renewal of trade unions. The employees’ organisations are seen as actors who have a strategic choice as to which power resources to tap. Though the specific national systems of industrial relations influence the unions’ strategic options, there are nevertheless various opportunities for transnational learning processes. This contribution analyses the potential for trade union renewal, drawing on several examples of organizing approaches in the USA and Germany.