A review of the participatory management literature: Implications for HRD research and practice

Abstract

This review of 294 articles addresses participatory management from the perspective of several disciplines. Each article was classified across four dimensions: primary thrust, level of focus, audience, and HRD implications. Analyses revealed that the majority of writings have the following characteristics: (1) a conceptual or anecdotal account, (2) promotion of participative strategies, (3) focus geared to human resource professionals, and (4) lack of explicit direction for HRD research and practice. Results suggest the need to conduct empirically based outcome research that measures the effects of participatory practices on divisions or other units rather than on the total organization. Other suggestions for HRD research and practice are discussed.

An exploratory investigation of learning culture theory and employee participation in decision making

“…Data indicate that survey respondents are somewhat less desirous of participating in decisions about coworkers than in decisions about their own job (self) or about organizationrelated issues. This is consistent with prior research (Kahnweiler, 1991;Kahnweiler and Thompson, 2000).…”

“…Control as a factor in participation in decision making came out the strongest, which is not surprising because this factor gets at the essence of employee involvement for rank-and-file employees, as presented in previous research (Kahnweiler, 1991;Kahnweiler and Thompson, 2000).…”

“…Participation in decisions related to coworker issues (ACTCOWO) also emerged as one of the most prevalent variables in the regression equations. This is perplexing because in previous studies "coworker" issues have surfaced as the lowest in importance (compared with "self" or "organizational") as participants consider participating in decision-making activities (Kahnweiler, 1991;Kahnweiler and Thompson, 2000). We view this as a statistical artifact and do not believe that it is particularly meaningful, especially considering that the results indicate that only 7 to 12 percent of the variance in OLC can be attributed to any of these participation-in-decisionmaking factors, including those related to coworkers.…”

“…For the purposes of this study, the investigation of employee involvement was limited to participation in decision making. Several common assumptions and themes in the literature can be identified: (1) organizational systems and the environment must be created and maintained to support participation in decision making (Garvin, 2000;Glew, O'Leary-Kelly, and Van Fleet, 1995;Jay, 2001;Popper and Lipshitz, 2000), (2) management must behave in ways that encourage and support participation in decision making (Garvin, 2000;Gastil, 1994;Jay, 2001;Kahnweiler, 1991;Maccoby, 1999;Parker and Price, 1994;Welsh, Luthans, and Sommer, 1993), (3) employees must be motivated and have the skills to participate in the decision-making process ( James and Wooten, 2001;Kahnweiler and Thompson, 1996;Lawler, Mohrman, and Ledford, 1992;Magjuka and Baldwin, 1991;Manz, 1992;Miller and Prichard, 1992;Pasmore and Fagans, 1992;Wanous, Poland, Premack, and Davis, 1992;Yammarino and Naughton, 1992), and (4) human performance and organizational outcomes will be different when participation in decision making occurs (Berthon, Pitt, and Ewing, 2001;Mayer and Schoorman, 1992;Miller and Monge, 1986;Popper and Lipshitz, 2000;Sagie and Koslowsky, 1994;Wagner, 1994). Glew, O'Leary-Kelly, and Van Fleet (1995) propose a definition for participation, stating that it is "a conscious and intended effort by individuals at a higher level in an organization to provide visible extra-role or role-expanding opportunities for individuals or groups at a lower level in the organization to have a greater voice in one or more areas of organizational performance" (p. 395).…”

“…Here, the individual factors specifically include employee involvement in decision making, and learning culture is embodied in the second issue, organizational systems and environment. This study builds on previous work in which a distinction is made between the actual and desired levels of participation in decision making and the perceived levels of control resulting from involvement in decision making on the part of rank-and-file members of an organization (Kahnweiler, 1991;Kahnweiler and Thompson, 2000).…”