Chapter 12 - Participatory processes. The main contents of the chapter consist of the following: The evolution of worker and union participation; the links between teamwork, participation, and work restructuring; the debate surrounding participatory programs | Chapter 12 Participatory Processes McGraw Hill Irwin An Introduction to Collective Bargaining amp Industrial Relations 4e Copyright 2008 The McGraw Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. 1 3 12 3 The Evolution of Worker and Union Participation Early efforts to create mechanisms for worker involvement included Quality of Working Life QWL programs QWL is oriented toward improving organizational performance and the working life of the employees The QWL programs operate at the lowest level of industrial relations activity on the shop floor through the involvement of groups of workers 1 4 12 4 Early QWL Limited Success Efforts to create interest in QWL expanded in the early 1970s QWL sought to address a perception that modern factories alienated workers by providing few avenues for employee input QWL sought to reduce worker alienation known as the blue collar blues Early efforts had opposition from labor and management Neither labor nor management saw the need for change Both labor and management felt that QWL questioned the basic assumptions of the collective bargaining process and feared for their roles Few line managers or executives saw the bottom line relevance of QWL but QWL was reborn in the 1980s as economic pressures intensified 1 5 12 5 Quality Circles In a typical Quality Circle QC program workers in one area of a plant meet for one or two hours per week with their supervisor Quality Circles allow workers and management to identify improvements in production and service delivery Many companies initially reported large payoffs from QC activities with scrap rates dropping and cost savings through new processes The Limited Gains from Quality Circles QC gains dissipated over time Workers became frustrated when their suggestions were ignored Workers ran out of suggestions or found them to be in violation of work rules 1 6 12 6 The Broadening of QC and QWL Programs The most successful QC and QWL programs involved broadening work rules bargaining issues and .
