What is Participative Management?
Participative management offers all employees opportunities to contribute to workplace policies and decisions that achieve business goals while promoting career satisfaction. As opposed to an autocratic management style, where the manager assumes operational control and makes all the decisions unilaterally, a participative manager asks for input from team members and considers all opinions to find workable solutions to business problems and implement them to meet deadlines. As a result, employees feel more valued and often work harder on behalf of their employers under this style of management.
Characteristics of a Participative Manager
The core of this approach stems from open, transparent communication between employers and employees, which fosters mutual respect and cooperation. In order to achieve this type of working relationship, participative managers adopt several principles for involving employees more actively in business operations. First, they share information about business growth and progress allowing employees to feel vested in the company’s goals. Next, they provide training to enhance employee skills and knowledge to increase positive job performance and improve operational outcomes. Finally, managers solicit employee participation by seeking input for making business decisions and rewarding successful suggestions or ideas.
Business Outcomes
From a business perspective, using a participative management approach creates loyal employees willing to invest their time and energy to see the company succeed. Employees often have innovative ideas for reducing costs and eliminating waste, streamlining procedures and increasing customer satisfaction. This management style also creates more effective leaders at all levels who can encourage and lead co-workers to accomplish business goals across diverse global platforms which impact modern businesses. Additionally, business operations under participatory management structures often report increased productivity and performance across all personnel levels.
Employee Benefits
Employees also benefit with businesses run by participative managers. Since employees tend to feel more valued under this management style, they are likely to have more career satisfaction and stay longer in their jobs. In turn, these experienced employees pass along their skills and expertise to new recruits to facilitate smooth business operations over time. This business management style also engenders feelings of accountability in employees making them more likely to pursue further education or training to improve their job performance and advance career opportunities while achieving the strategic goals of the business.
Learning How to Become a Participative Manager
Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in general business management programs explore various aspects of the participative leadership style through theory courses and practical applications. Associated studies include psychology, human and organizational behavior, motivational techniques and human resource management. These foundations help future business professionals to structure work environments based on inclusive employee practices. Participative managers may adopt this approach to run a department or team because it suits their leadership style, or they may be part of a corporate structure based upon a participatory management framework. As part of continuing education credits, many business professionals can participate in courses and workshops that will enhance their skills as participative managers.
An employer-employee dynamic based on open communication and collaborative decision-making can yield employees who are intrinsically motivated to help their own careers while furthering the company’s business success. As a result, employers who adopt a participative management approach can reap business benefits while sustaining employee satisfaction.
