Involvement and Participation Flashcards
Why is employee participation increasingly the norm in workplaces
Due to declining trade union membership
Positive view of employee participation
Union substitution
What is the reference for non-unionism increasingly the norm
CIPD, 2022
Negative view of employee participation
Union suppression
What is employee participation
Employees involvement in decision making (Heery & Noon, 2008)
Criticism of employee participation in literature
Confusion and overlap between terms and practices used
What is the framework for employee participation
Fourfold framework (Marchington, 1992)
What is the Fourfold framework
- degree of participation
- level of participation
- range of participation
- form of participation
What is the degree of participation
- amount of influence
- employees may simply be informed about decisions or actively participate in shaping the decisions
What is the level of participation
- appropriate level
- local (teams and departments) vs centralised (organisational)
- depends on the nature of the decision
What is the range of participation
- topics employees can contribute to
- e.g., pay, working processes, conditions, strategic planning
What is the form of participation
- direct e.g., face to face meetings
- indirect e.g., employee survey (through a representative)
What are the types of participation
- communication
- upward problem solving
- team working
- representative participation
What is the problem with types of participation
They are difficult to assess impact
Communication
- sharing of information with employees
- weak form of participation
Upward problem solving
- uses employee knowledge and ideas for improvement
- issues with employee enthusiasm
Team working
- self managed teams to achieve organisational performance
- pressure to conform
Representative participation
- negotiation between employer and representatives
Benefits of employee participation
- increased productivity
- open communication
- employee retention
- increased employee happiness
Drawbacks of employee participation
- time and resource constraints
- lack of expertise and knowledge
- resistance to change
- decision making delays
Why is employee involvement not always suitable
- organisational structure, size, culture
- decision complexity
- time sensitivity
- resources and logistics
Mitigation to power imbalance
- shared decision making
- transparency
- employee well-being and fairness
Factors and trends
- shift towards employee engagement (decentralised decision making)
- technology enabled participation (online surveys)
- stakeholder involvement (involving a wider range of stakeholders in decisions)
Purpose of employee participation
- empowerment
- engagement and motivation
- enhance problem solving
