Summary

As issues of employee involvement and participation once more evoke considerable controversy, this textbook provides an accessible overview of the main strands, perspectives and debates in current thinking and practice. It adopts a comparative international approach, addressing developments in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe, the United States and elsewhere.

The authors identify two main strands of evolution: one driven by managerial interests in enhancing and controlling employee commitment and performance; the other deriving from employees′ attempts to influence high-level organizational decision-making. In particular, they examine and analyze: the background of key concepts, issues and philosophies underpinning these different strands; the range of current employee involvement methods, from the individualistic and management-led to more regulated collective approaches; and the rationales and responses of employees, unions and employers to the various initiatives.

Throughout the book the authors evaluate the contrasting philosophies and practices in the context of the rapidly evolving organizational and economic landscapes of advanced industrialized countries. Relevant factors include declines in manufacturing industries, deregulation of labour markets, intensifying international competition and the ever-increasing globalization of enterprise.