Insight
High Involvement Workplace- Creating an efficient Organization
by Peeyush Mishra
MBA (IT), IIIT Allahabad
Due to increasing struggle in more demanding marketplace firms are facing several problems in gaining competitive advantage. Diminishing international boundaries and crumbled trade barriers have broadened the battlefield. Companies have made there distribution channels more efficient. State intervention in many markets has diminished and many organizations confront increasing number of competitors. In addition consumers demand higher quality products and services than before, delivered faster, and at a lower price. As a means to confront these challenges, a greater focus has been placed on management strategies to increase organizational productivity and efficiency at the workplace.
A plethora of terminology has been created to refer to aspects of more highly developed human resource management (HRM) approaches or high performance work systems (HPWS) (Becker and Huselid 1998). These strategies have been labeled High Performance Workplaces (HPW), High Commitment Management (HCM) and more lately, High Involvement Management (HIM).
One of the famous theorists of modern world Levine in his book “Reinventing the Workplace” holds that true high involvement work relations provide gains to both employers and workers. The "true" high involvement workplace, however, is rare. It requires an extensive package of practices -- centrally, the employee participation must be substantive, meaning that workers must have power to implement suggestions, not simply forward them to management. Equally important is guaranteeing employees access to due process and providing a means to be heard. Success requires employment security and curbs on arbitrary management authority.
Movement toward high involvement is impeded by existing institutions at the level of the firm, labor market, and macro economy. Indeed, the scarcity of genuine participation itself generates conditions in which participation is less likely to flourish. Nonetheless, Levine maintains, a relatively limited, non-intrusive set of public policies could tilt incentives toward high involvement.
Few important policies that are followed for creating high involvement workplace are:-
1- The HIM strategy involves policies that promote mutual influence, mutual respect and mutual responsibility.
2- The HIM is designed to improve employee relations and increase organizational performance and profitability through quality communication and consultation between management and employees.
3- As part of this strategy, jobs are designed to be broader, and combine planning and implementation.
4- Differences in status are minimized, with control and lateral co-ordination based on shared goals and understandings.
5- Integrated approach of innovative work practices and high employee involvement, encouraging higher commitment and increased organizational and workplace performance are involved.
6- The heavy emphasis is given on integration of business and employee relations strategy, and employee and management co-operation for the achievement of organizational goals.
Two models of HIM :-
1- Normative Models: - Stressed on integration and co-operation through employee involvement and participation, recognizing the needs of the individual as a means to achieve increased productivity.
2- Descriptive Or Functional Models: - Have used HRM as a management tool or strategy in the pursuit of organizational aims with the main function of HRM being to ensure the efficient allocation of resources.
HIM is premised on the belief that it will have positive effects on key performance variables:
a- Increased labor productivity,
b- Lower labor turnover,
c- Genuine employee participation,
d- Less absenteeism,
e- Greater output and
f- A generally improved and flexible workplace culture.
HIM practices have been commonly referred to as part of a strategic approach to human resource management, though there is some debate over how this compares to traditional industrial relations approaches to people management. Nevertheless, a high degree of consensus exists on the need for co-operation between management and employees for the success of HRM strategies. Research also suggests that this co-operation relies upon building employee satisfaction and commitment through effective employee participation processes.
Sources:
* Review of: Reinventing the Workplace: How Business and Employees Can Both Win by David I. Levine http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/Vol4_1/Tilly.pdf
* High involvement management and human resource sustainability: The challenges and opportunities
http://apj.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/43/1/18.pdf
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