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This paper analyses the implications of combining direct and representative forms of worker
participation for business performance. Direct participation refers to such things as quality control
circles, continuous improvement teams and other problem-solving groups, while representatwe
participation refers to joint consultation committees,including those between works councils and
management. Using a 1994 survey of first-tier automotive parts plants in Europe, this paper finds
evidence that better quality and information sharing result born having both forms of worker
participation than having one or the other. The survey also shows that in the fist half of the 1990s,
there has been a rapid diffusion of direct participation (together with a commitment to employment
security) and a moderate diffusion of indirect participation mechanisms in the UK. While not ruling out
legislation, the paper concludes by drawing implications of this finding for a further discussion of these
practices through voluntary means. |
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