Strategic Management

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Participative Management

Introduction

Participation is the term used to designate the process by which people contribute ideas towards the solution of problems affecting the orÐ'¬ganization and their jobs. The people exercise some degree of influence in the decision-making process. Participation is ego and task involvement of an individual or group. It includes not only the physical contribution of the person but also intellectual and emotional involvement in the affairs of the organization.

When managers establish means, on either an informal or a formal basis, for obtaining help from subordinates in making of plans and decisions, they are tapping the knowledge and creativity of other because managers cannot posÐ'¬sibly know all the answers to all the problems and issues connected with the work of their deÐ'¬partments, they can often obtain valuable advice and assistance from their subordinates. The process of participation brings into play the higher drives and motives of man.

ParticipaÐ'¬tory management has positive values over and above its effects upon productivity and morale. In countries where democratic norms are practiced in real sense and the concepts of political democracy and the rights and duties of individuals to take an active part in the affairs of their country are cherished, the environment at place of employment should be fully comÐ'¬patible with these democratic norms. Generally business and industrial organizations tend to be authoritarian in the inÐ'¬ternal relations between superiors and subordiÐ'¬nates. The system is rather autocratic. Yet this is a basic contradiction, because the executive who practices autocratic leadership at the office preaches the need for maintaining individual freedom in American society as a whole. To that executive it is self-evident that citizens should have a say in the shaping of laws and policies that affect them. But often this executive does not know how to apply this democratic value system to a company. Therefore, many spokesÐ'¬men maintain that participation programs in work organizations derive positive support from the cultural heritage prevailing in the United States of America.

ROLE OF PARTICIPATION IN THE ORGANIZATION

The four keys to effective participative management are empathy, inventory, goal clarity, and responsible decision-making.

Empathy means more than good listening. It also means being able to thoroughly put yourself in another person's shoes, seeing the world as he/she sees it.

Taking inventory includes a thorough understanding of an individual's strengths and limitations, as well as his/her prejudices and beliefs.

Because arriving at consensus is rarely feasible, the participative manager must make decisions that disappoint people. Often there is a temptation to decide whatever upsets the fewest people (the least common denominator approach). It is also important to assess the skills needed to implement a decision to determine what the group is capable of and what help it will need.

In order to truly involve others in a decision making process, a manager must be able to thoroughly understand their perspectives to the point where he/she is able to repeat an individual's viewpoint back to him/her.

By understanding all of the proposals that have been given, having a grasp of the strengths and limitations of the organization and clarity about the goals, a manager can incorporate all of the data he/she has. The final decision should include an understanding of the reasons some individuals will resist the decision and what to constructively do about this resistance.

Participation Management Vs Democracy

It is commonly understood that Participative management is just like behaving in democratic Institution whereas there is marked difference between Democracy and Participative management. The following paragraph explains the difference.

Participation is appropriate for all levels in the organizational hierarchy in practice in industry it takes place only rarely at the level of the blueÐ'¬ collar and white-collar non-supervisory employee. Many executives have the notion that these people would have nothing worthwhile to contribute. Participation activities via commitÐ'¬tees and meetings occur more often at middle and upper levels of management and with professional and technical groups of employees. A program of management in which emÐ'¬ployees are invited to contribute ideas and sugÐ'¬gestions concerning the running of the business must be distinguished from a system of demoÐ'¬cratic government.

In a democracy the citiÐ'¬zens, the people, set up their own governing body and make their own laws through elected representatives. The people have the power at stated times to elect, reelect, or reject their repÐ'¬resentatives and the executive leaders. However, in a work organization the employees do not select their leaders. Supervisors and managers are appointed from the top of the organization. Only in a very broad sense do these managers rule with the consent of the governed. If a manager is totally ineffective as a leader, he may be removed by superiors in the organization because they observe that this manager cannot win the support and cooperation of subordinates. But the subordinates do not directly exert control over their supervisors and managers.

Now when a manager consults subordiÐ'¬nates and shares some decision-making authorÐ'¬ity with them, he or she does this voluntarily. The manager still retains the final authority and most of the power to make and implement these decisions, sharing of decision-making can be rescinded at any time.

Most of the participation methods and proÐ'¬grams that exist in private enterprises are discretionary on management's part. Management can create the proÐ'¬gram and it can also abandon it. Exceptions to this primacy of management control are collecÐ'¬tive bargaining, in which management and union jointly bargain wages and conditions of employment, and union-management cooperaÐ'¬tion, which is established under a collective barÐ'¬gaining framework.

RESEARCH INTO PARTICIPATION

The pioneering research experiment into the effects of democratic methods of leadership was conducted by Lewin, White, and Lippitt at university of Iowa in 1938.