Employee Involvement and

Participation

Successful business depends on employee involvement.

Companys objectives are more effectively and
efficiently achieved if employees have some say in
decision making, especially as it affects their own areas
of work.
Managers make better decision with employees
involvement.
Employees like being involved satisfaction.

Employee Involvement &

Participation

A participative process that uses the input of employees

to increase their commitment to the organizations
success.
The direct participation of staff to help an organization
fulfil its mission and meet its objectives by applying
their own ideas, expertise, and efforts towards solving
problems and making decisions.
Regular participation of employee in deciding how work
is done, making suggestion for improvement, goal
setting, planning and monitoring of their performance.

Needs of Employee Participation

Employee participation is in part a response to the

quality movement within organizations.

Employee participation is also part of the move towards
human resource development in modern organisations.
Employee participation is required to take steps to
ensure their own health and safety and that of others.
Successful management of health and safety issues is
best achieved through good-faith co-operation in the
workplace. In particular, it is achieved through the input
of those doing the work.

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement means that every employee is

regarded as a unique human being, not just a cog in a

machine, and each employee is involved in helping the
organization meets its goals.
Each employees input is solicited and valued by his/her
management.
Employees and management recognize that each
employee is involved in running the business.

Categories and Forms of Employee

Involvement
Main categories of employee
involvement

Examples of related forms

Rationale

Communicative involvement:
information provision/
downward communication

Team briefing; other briefing groups;

corporate newspapers, journals and reports
aimed at employees; videos; audiotapes;
email; recorded telephone briefings

To provide information;
uniform messages; to be
educative or re-educative

Communicative involvement:
problem-solving involvement
and upward, two-way
communication

Briefing groups with feedback and

managerial response loops; quality
improvement teams; suggestion schemes;
employee surveys

Explicit access to employees

experience and skills; gain
cooperation and opinions

Communicative involvement:
consultation

Joint consultation committees, working

parties or groups; staff forums

Providing information and

testing reactions

Task involvement at job and

work organizational levels

Job redesign: job enlargement and job

enrichment. Work reorganization: (semi)
autonomous working groups; problemsolving involvement

To be re-educative; providing
greater levels of motivation
and satisfaction; empowering

Financial involvement

Employee share ownership plans; profitrelated pay; performance-related pay; bonus

schemes

To be re-educative; providing
incentives and promoting
effort

Managerial actions and style of

leadership

Participative managerial style; being visible;

accessible and informal; creating credibility;
ensuring actions in line with key messages

To provide support; encourage

positive working relationships
and trust; reduce barriers

Outcomes of Employee
Involvement

Improved organizational decision-making capability

Improved attitude regarding work
Substantially improved employee well-being
Reduced costs through elimination of waste and

reduced product cycle times

Empowerment, job satisfaction, creativity, commitment
and motivation, as well as intent to stay
Increased employee productivity across industries

Forms of Employee Involvement

Information sharing
Notice board, email circulation
The degree of information disclosure vs employee involvement
Informed = involved ?
Information hold back
Two way communication
Consultation
Next step up the employee involvement escalator
Employees are asked either directly or through representative
to express views

Forms of Employee Involvement

Quality circles
Originated from Japan
Small group of people meet regularly to generate ideas
News sheets
In-house journals or e-electronic form
Limited form
Attitude surveys
Employee engagement (physically and mentally attached)
Major problems : issues not properly addressed

Forms of Employee Involvement

Suggestion schemes
Formal bottom up communication employed by

organisation
Encourage staff to make suggestion
Team briefing
Authoritative information
Information gears to achievement of production targets

Overcoming Involvement
Challenges

Cultural Differences
Better in collectivist and low power distance cultures
Management Resistance
Educate/train managers to become facilitators
Employee and Union Resistance
Concerns about increased stress, giving up union
rights, and union power
Solution is trust and involvement