This document discusses employee involvement interventions. It defines employee involvement as seeking to increase employee input into decisions that affect organizational performance and well-being. There are three main applications of employee involvement discussed: parallel structures, high involvement organizations, and total quality management. Parallel structures give moderate levels of power, information, knowledge and skills but low rewards. High involvement organizations give high levels of all four. Total quality management also gives high levels of power, information, knowledge and skills as well as rewards.

1. Organization Development and Change
Thomas G. Cummings
Christopher G. Worley
Employee Involvement

2. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-2
Learning Objectives
for Chapter Fifteen
• To understand the principle characteristics
of employee involvement interventions
• To understand the three predominant
applications of employee involvement

3. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-3
Employee Involvement
• Employee involvement seeks to increase
members’ input into decisions that affect
organization performance and employee
well-being.
• Employee involvement (EI) is the broad
term for diverse approaches to gain greater
participation in relevant workplace
decisions.

4. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
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Employee Involvement
• Power
– Extent to which influence and authority are
pushed down into the organization
• Information
– Extent to which relevant information is shared
with members
• Knowledge and Skills
– Extent to which members have relevant skills
and knowledge and opportunities to gain them
• Rewards
– Extent to which opportunities for internal and
external rewards are tied to effectiveness

5. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-5
EI and Productivity
Employee
Involvement
Intervention
Improved
Communication
and Coordination
Improved
Motivation
Improved
Capabilities
Improved
Productivity

6. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-6
Secondary Effects of EI on
Productivity
Employee
Involvement
Intervention
Productivity
Productivity
Employee
Well-being and
Satisfaction
Attraction and
Retention

7. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-7
Employee Involvement
Applications
Application Power Information
Knowledge
/Skill Rewards
Parallel
Structures
Low Moderate Moderate Low
High
Involvement
Organizations
High High High High
Total Quality
Management
High High High High

8. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-8
Parallel Structure
Application Stages
• Define the parallel structure’s purpose and
scope
• Form a steering committee
• Communicate with organization members
• Form employee problem-solving groups
• Address the problems and issues
• Implement and evaluate the changes

9. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-9
High Involvement
Organization Features
• Flat, lean organization
structures
• Enriched work designs
• Open information
systems
• Sophisticated selection
and career systems
• Extensive training
programs
• Advanced reward
systems
• Participatively
designed personnel
practices
• Conducive physical
layouts

10. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-10
TQM Application Stages
• Gain long-term senior management
commitment
• Train members in quality methods
• Start quality improvement projects
• Measure progress
• Rewarding accomplishment

11. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
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Deming’s Quality Guidelines
• Create a constancy of
purpose
• Adopt a new philosophy
• End lowest cost
purchasing practices
• Institute leadership
• Eliminate empty slogans
• Eliminate numerical
quotas
• Institute on-the-job
training
• Retrain vigorously
• Drive out fear
• Break down barriers
between departments
• Take action to accomplish
transformation
• Improve processes
constantly and forever
• Cease dependence on
mass inspection
• Remove barriers to pride
in workmanship

12. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
15-12
Deming’s Seven Deadly Sins
• Lack of constancy of purpose
• Emphasizing short-term profits and immediate
dividends
• Evaluation of performance, merit rating, or annual
review
• Mobility of top management
• Running a company only on visible figures
• Excessive medical costs
• Excessive costs of warranty