UNIT 4
WORKER / EMPLOYEE
INVOLVEMENT AND
PARTICIPATION
Learning Outcomes
After studying this unit, the student should:
• Evaluate the underlying reasons for
introducing worker participation
• To analyse the various forms that employee
participation in an organisation may assume
• Determine what is required to ensure the
success of employee involvement in the
organisation
• Analyse workplace forums and the law
relating to them.
What is employee involvement?
• Concept used to describe a set of practices
aimed at improving the quality of life of
employees in an organisation
• Aims at increasing input of members in
decision making that affect production.
Four key elements affecting employee
involvement
• Power-empower employees to make work
related decisions
• Information-employees to have enough
information to make meaningful decisions
• Knowledge and skills- organisation to provide
training and development to improve skills
• Rewards- to motivate; provide feelings of selfworthy and accomplishment (Performance
bonuses)
Effects of employee involvement
• Improved communication
• Improved productivity
• Improved capabilities
• Improved coordination among departments
Above primary effects
Secondary effects below
- Employees well-being and satisfaction
- Attraction and retention
- Improved productivity
- Improved employee motivation
Employee Involvement Applications
• Parallel Structures
- Applied in bureaucratic organisations with ill
defined and complex problems
- Also referred to as ‘’collateral structures,’’
‘’dualistic structures,’’ and ‘’shadow structures.’’
- Provide members with alternative setting free
from the formal organisational structure and
culture to facilitate problem solving and change
and act in new ways
Two types of parallel structures
• Cooperative union – management projects and,
• Quality circle intervention
- Employees involved in above parallel structures
make suggestions only and proposals only
- Managers still make decisions
- Managers make implementation decisions
- Work well in organisations with no history of
worker participation, endemic of top to down
management approaches
Steps to be followed
• Step1: define purpose and scope
• step 2: form steering committee
• Step 3:Communicate with organisation
members
• Step 4:Create forums for employee problem
solving
• Step 5: Address the problem and issues
• Step 6: Implement and evaluate the changes
TQM
•
•
•
•
Focuses on process and quality improvement
Increases knowledge and skills
Provides relevant information to employees
Pushes decision making downwards in organ.
& ties rewards with performance
• TQM aligned with overall business strategy
• Attempts to make business focus towards
continuous quality improvement
Deming –originator of TQM
• Guidelines for effective application of TQM on
page 79
• Steps of TQM page 80
High Involvement Organisations
• Create organisational conditions that support high levels of
employee participation
• FEATURES /CHARACTERISTICS OF HIOs
- Flat lean organisation structures
- Job designs
- Career systems
- Open information systems
- Selection
- Training
- Reward systems
- Personnel policies
- Physical layouts that support team structures and reduce status
differences and promote equality among members