Participation and Empowerment in Organizations: Modeling, Effectiveness and Applications

Citation

Holyoak, L. (2001), "Participation and Empowerment in Organizations: Modeling, Effectiveness and Applications", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 139-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2001.22.3.139.2

In this book, the authors set out to answer three questions about employee participation: how is it manifest in different organisations; what are the underlying dynamics; and is it effective. None of these questions have simple answers, of course.

The book starts by clarifying what these authors mean by the term employee participation (participation in work‐related decision making), which is steadily increasing in popularity. Sagie and Koslowsky then briefly review the different approaches found in different cultures, making a useful distinction between practice in the USA and the rest of the world (though the latter is by no means uniform). Presuming that the popularity of participative decision making (PDM) is based on the fact that it benefits organisations, the second chapter of the book suggests a model to explain the link between participation and work outcomes. This issue is explored further in the third chapter which reviews empirical research on employee participation: it is through this review that it becomes clear that what was thought to be a robust link between PDM and beneficial outcomes, is not a certainty and is, in fact, the subject of fierce debate. Hedging their bets more than earlier authors, Sagie and Koslowsky conclude that PDM affects some work outcomes (but that other practices do so too), and that the degree of effect will depend on the situation.

The book then turns its attention to participation in relation to leadership and goal setting. A chapter on each aspect examines the theoretical issues of each area and tries to come to a conclusion about practice, which is not easy given the lack of consistency of research findings in these areas. This seems to be a recurring theme in the book, and the authors are to be congratulated for standing back and providing the reader with all the evidence and being able to say that all is not as rosy as it could be, even though they are great supporters of PDM.

In Chapter 6, the authors finally focus on empowerment. It is slightly disappointing that something so prominent in the title is dealt with rather cursorily (compared with all the information on PDM). The chapter mainly comprises a review of a number of methods which are used to promote the perception amongst employees that they are empowered, though there really is not the space to do some of them justice (such as the socio‐technical systems approach).

The final substantive chapter examines a range of managerial programmes and approaches (such as management by objectives and total quality management) that encompass participation. Once again there is a focus on how effective these approaches are. To round the book off, the authors consider the present and future of participation and empowerment. The model proposed earlier in the book is developed, and then the authors broach the topic of the “Participation Paradox”: that PDM is not always better than more directive approaches, though they identify factors that can make it more successful. The authors finish on a cautiously optimistic note, suggesting that although economic factors might lead to the end of employee participation as we know it, new forms may yet emerge and continue the advantages of such practices.

The book has much to commend it (good chapter summaries, explanations of technical terms, clear tables and figures and a refreshing honesty). My only concern is the relative lack of material on empowerment, though that might be a UK reader’s bias. Bearing that in mind, the book does what it sets out to do in a clear and readable manner, and should provide useful material for practitioners and academics alike.