British Employees' Organizational Participation

The last two decades witnessed a resurgence of§interest in the concept of employee s workplace§participation. The changes that occurred in the§landscape of the British economy, in particular the§rapid spread of information technologies and§heightened international competitiveness, led to the§emergence of the participative management thesis.§It recognizes the dysfunctional effects of tight§surveillance of workers and emphasizes the importance§of involving employees in organisational§decision-making as a means of enhancing their work§motivation and performance quality. At the same time,§participation is also seen as of major importance for§employee well-being, as being able to exercise a§voice over workplace decisions is widely assumed to§contribute to workers sense of competence and§self-actualization. This study draws on two§large-scale UK national surveys to empirically assess the§trends, determinants and effects of British§employees organizational participation. By comparing§management data with employee data, it provides new§insights into whether participative management can§generate a win-win situation that benefits both§employers and employees.