Workplace Democracy: An Inquiry into Employee Participation in Canadian Work Organizations (Heritage) - Softcover

Nightingale, Donald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802064701 ISBN 13: 9780802064707

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 1982

Synopsis

This book begins with a historical review of how authority in the Canadian workplace has changed over the past century. It proceeds to outline a theory of organization which provides a broad conceptual framework for the empirical analysis which follows. This theory is based on five concepts: the values of organizational members; the administrative structure of the organization; the interpersonal and intergroup processes; the reactions and adjustments of organization members; the social, political, economic, and cultural environments of the organization.

A sample of 20 industrial organizations was selected to examine the effects of significant employee participation and to test the theory. They are matched pairs: ten permit some form of participation, and ten—similar in size, location, industry, union/non-union status, and work technology—follow conventional hierarchical design.

The resulting data demonstrate that greater productivity results from employee participation in decisions relating to their work, in productivity bonuses, and in profit sharing and employee share-ownership plans.

About this title

About the Authors

Donald V. Nightingale is a consultant and former professor at the School of Business at Queen's University.

The late Max B.E. Clarkson was the Director of The Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics and Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Management, University of Toronto.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 1982
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802064701
• ISBN 13: 9780802064707
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 332