Participative Management: analysis and literature review of a 1930's theory -- Does it still have relevance 21st century management What are the strengths and weaknesses of this theory?

One of the strengths of the theory of participative management is that it enables organizations to eliminate unneccaary and costly layers of managerial bureaucracy. Through deploying the concept of team leadership and work teams, it can empower employees to make immediate, practical decisions rather than relying upon management. Thus, it creates a leaner managerial structure and a greater sense of loyalty to the organization when employees can be responsible for everything from hiring, firing, corrective action, budgeting, education and performance appraisals. Work teams are encouraged, with participative management, to "set goals that are congruent with those of the organization and develop goal implementation strategies." (Warner, 1998)

But particpatory management is not beloved by all management theorists. "The author of a book published in 1957 pointed out that employees for the most part have few needs related to greater productivity. He said this might explain why production increases more under directive than under participative leadership." (Taylor, 1986) Robert Lear of The Chief Executive (1992) peer-reviewed journal contends that participative management attempts have stimied productivity. Writing of the previous decade's infatuation with Japanese management theory, he notes "later in 1984, an extensive analysis of research data comparing participative management and productivity in Germany, Japan, and the United States found little evidence that a participative style resulted in any productivity increase -- at least in the United States." Participatory management may be culturally bound and more sucessful in nations such as Japan, with a high loyalty ethic to the collective. Moreover, when "dictatorial, hierarchical management is out," and managers coordinate rather than make decisions, "our companies have a whole wave of young managers who were raised permissively by their parents and went to progressive schools. They are only criticized occasionally and, certainly, never overruled. (Lear, 1992)

What research...

"The problem is that some researchers have determined that authoritarian management is more productive." Others have found that participative management "leads to increased productivity," and both contrasting conclusions often come from similarly-conducted studies (Taylor, 1996) A 1953 examination of several boys' clubs concluded that productivity was somewhat greater under autocratic rather than democratic leadership. The opposite finding was validated in 1955, of the same boy's club. (Taylor, 1996)
The former Secretary of State, George P. Schultz was involved in an early 1950s study that reported a 41 per cent productivity gain during the first year of increased employee participation in one company. But field research described in 1956 showed hierarchically controlled groups achieving a greater increase in productivity than participatively controlled groups. But Staw and Epstien (2000) have noted that "a core assumption of institutional theory is that organizations act to enhance or protect their legitimacy," when a theory is newly put into practice, as in the Schultz study. (citing Scoff, 1995) This highlights difficulty of creating unbiased empirical tests of participatory theory to "measure directly any gains in legitimacy received by the organization." (Staw & Epstien 2000)

Once an organization has made an initial commitment to participatory management and work teams, a financial as well as an ideological commitment, there is an incentive to show that this commitment has been salutary on the part of management.

In what ways is this theory relevant to a 21st manager?

One researcher reported that participative leaders have the best-performing groups in some cases, but that directive, controlling leaders do better in other cases. In other words, appropriate leadership style depends on the situation and upon the organization. (Mittler, 2002) A 1976 study to evaluate the effectiveness of three management styles, managers with a need for employee affiliation (participatory), managers with a need…