EMPOWERMENT PARTICIPATION

EMPOWERMENT
PARTICIPATION
Chapter 12 :
Empowerment and
Participation
Empowerment
Participation
The Process of
Participation
Advantages of
Participation
Essential
Prerequisites for
Successful
Participation
Programs for
Participation
Consultative
Management
Suggestion
Programs
Programs
Emphasizing
Quality
Middle-
Management
Committees
Industrial
Democracy
Self-Managing
Teams
Limitations of
Participation
Chapter Summary
The term empowerment
means giving employees
power and authority to
make decisions on their
own. When people are
allowed to work with
minimal interference from
their superiors and are
given the authority and
responsibility to make
decisions, they are said to
be empowered. Employees
can be empowered by
ensuring their participation
in decision-making.
Participation is defined as
the mental and emotional
involvement of people in
the activities of the group,
which encourages them
take responsibility for and
contribute to the
achievement of group
goals.
Participation proves
advantageous for the
organization in many ways.
It improves the quality and
quantity of output. It also
improves the motivation
levels of employees,
decreases the rate of
attrition and absenteeism,
and improves
communication within the
organization. Other lesser
tangible benefits are
decreases in the number of
conflicts, lower stress
levels, greater commitment
to goals, and lower
resistance to change.
Certain prerequisites are
essential for participation;
for instance, adequate time
should be allowed for
participation, and the
potential benefits of
participation should be
greater than the costs
involved. For participating
effectively, the employees
must also have the
relevant abilities and
skills, and should be
interested in that particular
area of work. The
participants should be able
to exchange their ideas
effectively with each other
and they should not
perceive the process as a
threat to their position or
status. The degree of
participation also depends
on the area of job freedom
for that particular
department.
There are many programs
that can be used to
encourage participation of
employees. Some programs
involve employees only to
a modest extent, while
other programs require a
substantial amount of
participation from
employees. The most
common participation
programs are consultative
management, suggestion
programs, quality circles
and TQM, middle-
management committees,
industrial democracy and
self-managing teams. One
or more of such programs
can be used within the
same organization.
Consultative management
refers to the practice of
managers obtaining
feedback and contributions
from employees on certain
issues for making
decisions. Suggestion
programs are formal plans
developed by the
organization which invite
the employees to give
suggestions for work
improvements. Quality
circles are voluntary
groups, comprising
employees who are trained
in statistical techniques
and problem-solving skills.
They attempt to generate
ideas to improve the
working conditions and
productivity of the
organization.
The TQM approach is an
ongoing effort to involve
all employees of an
organization in the search
for novel ways to improve
its operations. This
approach involves training
employees in statistical
methods and giving them
the opportunity to develop
extensive problem-solving
and group decision-making
skills. Middle-management
committees provide junior
directors the opportunity
to understand a particular
problem and recommend
solutions for it. The board
of junior directors carefully
studies and analyzes the
problem and presents its
recommendations to the top
management.
Industrial democracy is a
participation program in
which workers'
participation at various
levels is made mandatory
by the government,
especially for those
decisions that affect the
workers. Self-managing
teams undertake
extensive group
discussions and use the
ideas and influence of the
group for making decisions.
Participation has a few
limitations. Due to the
complex technology and
organizational structure of
today's work setup, some
people may find it difficult
to participate in different
and varied organizational
issues. Problems may also
crop up when employees
make suggestions in areas
where they are not really
competent.
Employees may expect
consultation on every
issue, whether they have
the relevant expertise or
not, and when they are not
consulted, they may feel
resentful. Some superiors
too may face difficulties in
relating to their
subordinates as they may
feel that their traditional
authority is threatened.
They may be uncomfortable
in their roles as coaches
and facilitators. Another
serious drawback of
participation is that it could
be u