Voice as an Empowerment Practice: The Case of an Australian Manufacturing Company

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to examine voice as an empowerment practice in a manufacturing company. The case study follows a qualitative approach to analyse employee voice and types of empowerment from a structural perspective. Findings suggest a variety of voice arrangements to empowering employees such as voice surveys, meetings, e-suggestions, opinion boxes and informal means such as casual meetings and walkarounds. In addition, employee voice is linked to types of empowerment such as information sharing, upward problem solving, task autonomy and attitudinal shaping. Further research would benefit from an exploration of employees’ feelings regarding voice mechanisms to examine the psychological perspective of empowerment.

Citation

Viveros, H., Kalfa, S. and Gollan, P.J. (2018), "Voice as an Empowerment Practice: The Case of an Australian Manufacturing Company", Lewin, D. and Gollan, P.J. (Ed.) Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, 2017: Shifts in Workplace Voice, Justice, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in Contemporary Workplaces (Advances in Industrial & Labor Relations, Vol. 24), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-618620180000024006