The Effect of Employee Participation on Motivation

Employee participation doesn't just have the power to increase workplace motivation, it has the capability to transform an organization into a vibrant, growing community. Countless companies face serious problems because of an increasing divide between management and employees. By getting every worker involved and emphasizing that every contribution-no matter how small-matters to the company has the potential to take your organization to new heights. If you're wondering where to start the process of employee participation, here are a few easy-to-implement ideas.

A staple of employee participation is participative management. When participative management is implemented, workers at all levels of the organization have a say in key decision-making processes. In most cases, this technique boils down to a manager meeting with her immediate staff before making any substantial decisions. By letting employees speak out about what is important to them and the direction they feel the company should go, managers can not only boost morale and productivity, but also learn value information that their personal perspective may not accommodate. Of course, it is necessary to make sure that the issues employees are being consulted on are ones that are important to them. If employees engaging in participative management are disinterested or feel ignored, true employee participation has not been achieved.

Representative councils are also a useful tool when attempting to transform an organization into one that hinges more on employee participation. With representative councils, selected members from every level of the organizational hierarchy meet together to discuss issues and concerns facing the company. The value of representative councils is that feelings of inferiority or neglect at the bottom of the organization can be assuaged by putting representatives in dialogue with upper-level and executive management. Councils can be structured to meet monthly or bi-weekly, often with representatives meeting with the employees they will represent beforehand.

Finally, 360-degree feedback is another constructive tool that can make employees feel important, noticed, and empowered. With 360-degree feedback, employees receive evaluations from numerous and diverse members of the organization. From secretaries to CEO's and sales representatives to suppliers, individuals are assessed by a handful of people they come in contact with. At their best, these appraisals can show employees that their hard work is being noticed and that upper-level management-who may often seem to be hidden away in an ivory tower-is paying attention to them. While implementing 360-degree feedback can be time-consuming, the benefits toward employee participation through genuine acknowledgement will outweigh the costs.

Utilizing employee participation effectively can help your company make the transition from surviving to thriving. You will be surprised at how well employees listen to you when they are certain you are listening to them.