Problems with Participation at Work

Abstract

This paper describes and analyses a system of participation operating in a firm manufacturing kitchen furniture (labelled as Kitchenco). It assesses the way in which the attitudes and behaviour of employees, shop stewards, foremen and managers have an effect upon, and are influenced by, the participative scheme. By organising the approach to the case study loosely around the framework developed by Walker, it is possible to identify the propensity to participate of the shop floor, management's acceptance of participation and the effect of the participation potential on the system at Kitchenco. A variety of research instruments were used for this purpose and it is the contention of the author that use needs to be made of observational techniques and a semi‐structured interview programme, rather than the more usual questionnaire approach, in order to generate a “richer” understanding of workplace industrial relations. One of the primary intentions of the paper is to discount the myth that participation is the latest panacea and to demonstrate that it does have important limitations; and yet to suggest that these drawbacks are not insurmountable but, rather, require discussion and analysis in order to develop our knowledge of them.