4.4
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT:
A RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES
Inspired by Edward Lawler, Victor Vroom, and Philip Yetton.Modern organizations are being pressured to involve employees more substantively than in the
past. Changing the level of involvement can be a challenging task. As the saying goes, “The
system is perfectly aligned to produce what it is now producing.” The upshot is that the cur-
rent level of involvement is thoroughly entrenched by custom, culture, values, expectations,
styles, and tradition. Here are some sobering reasons, however, for changing the traditional
levels of involvement:
➠ Increasing complexity of organizations, systems, and stakeholders—some examples are the
complexity of e-commerce, off-shore competition, and alliances with suppliers, con-
tractors, and customers.
➠ Increasing complexity of workprevents an individual leader from knowing or even under-
standing it all—technology, information, legislation, internationalization, multiple
cultures, shorter cycle times. No longer can there be a General Manager, knowledgeable
and skilled in all areas of work. The modern leader needs to marshal advice and
resources, involving many source people. [☛1.1 Twenty-First-Century Leader, 1.2
Manage or Lead?]
➠ The rise of the knowledge worker.Traditionally, leaders did the thinking; followers did the
work unthinkingly, to drive out variance. Today, workers are expected to think thor-
oughly about their work and how it fits into the big picture. [☛4.9 Professional
Expertise, 7.7 Quality Tools]
➠ The need for innovation to succeed.Creativity and innovation are more likely surpressed
in authoritarian leadership styles and more likely to thrive in high-involvement work
cultures.
➠ Workers want more say in their work.Today’s highly educated workforce is less likely to
“do as they’re told.” [☛2.5 Values, 4.5 Culture]Given this backdrop, leaders feel pressured to dramatically increase employee involvement.
The question is, “What kind of involvement, and by whom, will enhance the work situation?”
This tool outlines a range of levels of employee involvement and provides a checklist for
choosing and implementing the appropriate level.
112 SECTION 4 TOOLS FORDESIGNINGPRODUCTIVEPROCESSES ANDORGANIZATIONS