Involvement and Participation

Question 1

Why is employee participation increasingly the norm in workplaces

Answer 1

Due to declining trade union membership

Question 2

Positive view of employee participation

Answer 2

Union substitution

Question 3

What is the reference for non-unionism increasingly the norm

Answer 3

CIPD, 2022

Question 4

Negative view of employee participation

Answer 4

Union suppression

Question 5

What is employee participation

Answer 5

Employees involvement in decision making (Heery & Noon, 2008)

Question 6

Criticism of employee participation in literature

Answer 6

Confusion and overlap between terms and practices used

Question 7

What is the framework for employee participation

Answer 7

Fourfold framework (Marchington, 1992)

Question 8

What is the Fourfold framework

Answer 8

• degree of participation
• level of participation
• range of participation
• form of participation

Question 9

What is the degree of participation

Answer 9

• amount of influence
• employees may simply be informed about decisions or actively participate in shaping the decisions

Question 10

What is the level of participation

Answer 10

• appropriate level
• local (teams and departments) vs centralised (organisational)
• depends on the nature of the decision

Question 11

What is the range of participation

Answer 11

• topics employees can contribute to
• e.g., pay, working processes, conditions, strategic planning

Question 12

What is the form of participation

Answer 12

• direct e.g., face to face meetings
• indirect e.g., employee survey (through a representative)

Question 13

What are the types of participation

Answer 13

• communication
• upward problem solving
• team working
• representative participation

Question 14

What is the problem with types of participation

Answer 14

They are difficult to assess impact

Question 15

Communication

Answer 15

• sharing of information with employees
• weak form of participation

Question 16

Upward problem solving

Answer 16

• uses employee knowledge and ideas for improvement
• issues with employee enthusiasm

Question 17

Team working

Answer 17

• self managed teams to achieve organisational performance
• pressure to conform

Question 18

Representative participation

Answer 18

• negotiation between employer and representatives

Question 19

Benefits of employee participation

Answer 19

• increased productivity
• open communication
• employee retention
• increased employee happiness

Question 20

Drawbacks of employee participation

Answer 20

• time and resource constraints
• lack of expertise and knowledge
• resistance to change
• decision making delays

Question 21

Why is employee involvement not always suitable

Answer 21

• organisational structure, size, culture
• decision complexity
• time sensitivity
• resources and logistics

Question 22

Mitigation to power imbalance

Answer 22

• shared decision making
• transparency
• employee well-being and fairness

Question 23

Factors and trends

Answer 23

• shift towards employee engagement (decentralised decision making)
• technology enabled participation (online surveys)
• stakeholder involvement (involving a wider range of stakeholders in decisions)

Question 24

Purpose of employee participation

Answer 24

• empowerment
• engagement and motivation
• enhance problem solving

Question 25

Meaning of employee participation

Answer 25

• open communication
• collaboration and teamwork
• personal growth and development

Question 26

Impact of employee participation

Answer 26

• improved decision making
• increased motivation
• employee satisfaction and retention