WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT

From: IBM INTERNATIONAL

Meaning of WPM
WPM is a system of communication and consultation, either formal or informal, by which employees of an organization are kept informed about the affairs of an undertaking and through which they express their opinion and contribute to mgt decisions.

Definition

According to Keith Davis, Participation refers to the mental and emotional involvement of a person in a group situation which encourages him to contribute to group goals and share the responsibility of achievement.

Evolution in India
1920 Mahatma Gandhiji comparison Labor-brain Shareholder- money Enterprise Major setup was started through an act in 1947 Resolutions labor contribution in all matters of an organization

Council was formed in 1957 Report on same year. No compulsion should be applied was important in that conditions.

Objectives of WPM

Increasing productivity for the general benefit of the enterprise, the employees and the community; Giving employees a better understanding of their role in the working of the industry & of the production process; and Satisfying the workers urge for selfexpression, thus leading to industrial peace, better relations and increased cooperation.

Scope & Significance

Information sharing Decision making Control High productivity Commitment Reduce unrest decision Improve decision &HRD creativity

5 levels of Management Participation

1. Information participation: It ensures that employees are able to receive information and express their views pertaining to the matter of general economic importance.

2. Consultative importance: Here workers are consulted on the matters of employee welfare such as work, safety and health. However, final decision always rests with the top-level management, as employees views are only advisory in nature

3. Associative participation: It is an extension of consultative participation as management here is under the moral obligation to accept and implement the unanimous decisions of the employees. Under this method the managers and workers jointly take decisions.

4. Administrative participation: It ensures greater share of workers participation in discharge of managerial functions. Here, decisions already taken by the management come to employees, preferably with alternatives for administration and employees have to select the best from those for implementation.

5. Decisive participation: Highest level of participation where decisions are jointly taken on the matters relating to production, welfare etc.

Participative forums in India

Works committees; Joint mgt. Councils; Joint councils; Unit councils; Plant councils; Shop councils; Workers representative on the board of mgt; and Workers participation in share capital.

Conditions necessary for effective working of the scheme

Congenial work environment Well defined roles Faith in the efficacy of the scheme Wide publicity Should be evolutionary Free flow of information throughout the enterprise Should be based on mutual trust Decisions taken by different participatory forums must be sincerely carried out in the stipulated time

Reasons for failure of WPM

Ideological differences between the employer and the employees regarding the degree of participation. Failure to imbibe the spirit of participation by the parties Multiplicity of participative forums Lack of strong trade unionism Unhappy IR Illiteracy of workers Non co-operative attitude of the working class Delays in the implementation of the decisions of the participative bodies