Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Employees’ Conceptions of How Management Can Operationalize Employee Involvement

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of Social Media Management

Part of the book series: Media Business and Innovation ((MEDIA))

  • 8813 Accesses

Abstract

The global recession and its subsequent negative consequences have led managers of media organizations consider changes to the way they manage their organizations, aiming for greater efficiency and effectiveness. One of the changes considered was the achievement of employee involvement towards organizational decisions and operations.

Despite long-standing recognition on the importance of gaining employee involvement for implementing change successfully, we know almost nothing about how employees think about the way management can work to gain employee involvement. The purpose of this research is to eliminate this lacuna.

From a theoretical perspective, there has been a great deal of literature on the importance of gaining employee involvement in order to implement change. Even though these theoretical views are helpful, outstanding issues remain. More specifically, the existing theoretical views have not dealt adequately with how the employees think about the way management can work to achieve employee involvement. Also, there is little empirically grounded theoretical account of how employees think about how management can operationalize employee involvement.

In order to address this gap this study explores how employees think about the way management can operationalize employee involvement. As a result this research contributes towards a richer theory on the process behind the implementation of employee involvement, highlighting the importance of the recruitment process and the achievement of employee creation, innovation and confidence that their involvement is true and valid.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdel-Halim, A. A. (1983). Effects of task and personality characteristics on subordinate responses to participative decision making. Academy of Management Journal, 26(3), p477–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abdel-Halim, A. A., & Rowland, K. M. (1976). Some personality determinants of the effects of participation: a further investigation. Personnel Psychology, 29(1), p41–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alge, B. J., Ballinger, G. A., Tangirala, S., & Oakely, J. L. (2006). Information privacy in organizations: Empowering creative and extrarole performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 9, 221–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C. (1973). Personality and organization theory revisited. Administrative Science Quarterly, 18, 141–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive view. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, S., & Margulies, N. (1989). An ideological perspective on participation: a case for integration. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2, 13–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Block, P. (1987). The empowered manager. San Francisco: Jossey–Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, J., & Gregory, W. J. (2000). Reflections on critical systems thinking and the management of change in rule-bound systems. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13, 140–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, A. T., Folger, R., & Wooten, K. (1995). The role justice plays in organizational change. Public Administration Quarterly, 19, 135–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coch, L., & French, J. R. P., Jr. (1948). Overcoming resistance to change. Human Relations, 4, 512–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, J. A. (1986). Empowering leadership. Montreal: McGill University. Working Paper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conger, J. A., & Kanungo, R. N. (1988). The empowerment process: Integrating theory and practice. Academy of Management Review, 13, 471–482.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, L. (1965). Organizational climates for creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 8(3), 220–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delaney, J. T., & Sockell, D. (1990). Employee involvement programs, unionization and organizational flexibility. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 1990, 264–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theory from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsbach, K. D., & Kramer, R. M. (2003). Assessing creativity in Hollywood pitch meetings: Evidence for a dual-process model of creativity judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 46(3), p283–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler, F. E. (1972). The effects of leadership training and experience: A contingency model interpretation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 453–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French, J. R. P., Israel, J., & Aas, D. (1958). An experiment in participation in a Norwegian factory. Human Relations, 13, 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, J. M. (2007). Creativity in organizations. Academy of Management Annals, 1, p439–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, J. M., & Zhou, J. (2001). When openness to experience and conscientiousness are related to creative behavior: An interactional approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 513–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, J. (1996). Communication—Is it really that simple? An analysis of a communication exercise in a case study. Personnel Review, 25, 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. London: Wiedenfeld and Nicholson.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R. J., & Mitchell, T. R. (1974). Path-goal theory of leadership. Journal of Contemporary Business, 3, 81–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hrebiniak, L. G. (1974). Effects of job level and participation on employee attitudes and perceptions of influence. Academy of Management Journal, 17(4), p649–662.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, R. M. (1979). Power failure in management circuits. Harvard Business Review, 57(4), 65–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, J. L. (2004). The limits of organizational democracy. The Academy of Management Executive, 18(3), 81–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ketokivi, M., & Castaner, X. (2004). Strategic planning as an integrating device. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49, 337–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Likert, R. (1961). New patterns of management. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maurer, J. G., (1967) The relationship of work role involvement to job characteristics with higher-order need potential. Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • McHugh, M. (1997). The stress factor: Another item for the change management agenda? Journal of Organizational Change Management, 10, 345–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, D. E., & Zeffane, R. (2003). Employee involvement, organizational change and trust in management. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14, 55–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morse, N., & Reimer, E. (1956). The experimental change of a major organizational variable. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 52, 120–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neubert, M. J., & Cady, S. H. (2001). Program commitment: A multi-study longitudinal field investigation of its impact and antecedents. Personnel Psychology, 54, 421–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nord, W. R., Rosenblatt, Z., & Rogers, K. (1993). Toward a political framework for flexible management of decline. Organization Science, 4, 76–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oldham, G. R. (1976). The motivational strategies used by supervisors’ relationships to effectiveness indicators. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15, 66–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patchen, M. (1970). Participation, achievement, and involvement on the job. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, D. M. (1997). Psychological functions of privacy. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 17, 147–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, L. W., & Lawler, E. E. (1968). Managerial attitudes and performance. Homewood, IL.: Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruh, R. A., White, J. K., & Wood, R. R. (1975). Job involvement, values, personal background, participation in decision making and job attitudes. Academy of Management Journal, 18(2), 300–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rusaw, C. A. (2000). Uncovering training resistance—A critical theory perspective. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13, 249–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwochau, S., & Delaney, J. (1997). Employee participation and assessments of support for organizational policy changes. Journal of Labor Research, 18, 379–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C. E., Zhou, J., & Oldham, G. R. (2004). Effects of personal and contextual characteristics on creativity: Where should we go from here? Journal of Management, 30, 933–958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, G. (1977). Managerial practices. In J. R. Hackman & L. J. Suttle (Eds.), Improving life at work: Behavioral science approaches to organizational change (pp. 297–363). Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannenbaum, A. S. (1954). The relationship between personality and group structure Unpublished PhD thesis, Syracuse University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannenbaum, A. S. (1961). Control and effectiveness in a voluntary organization. The American Journal of Sociology, 67, 33–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesluk, P. E., Vance, R. J., & Mathieu, J. E. (1999). Examining employee involvement in the context of participative work environments. Group and Organization Management, 24, 271–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, P. (1999). Work relations as a precursor to a psychological climate for change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12, 120–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vroom, V. H. (1959). Some personality determinants of the effects of participation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59, 322–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vroom, V. H. (1973). A new look at managerial decision making. Organizational Dynamics, 1, 66–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westin, A. F. (1967). Privacy and freedom. New York: Atheneum.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R., & Lippitt, R. (1960). Autocracy and democracy: An experimental inquiry. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research—Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frederick University, Lefkosia, Cyprus

    Stavros Georgiades

Authors
  1. Stavros Georgiades
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stavros Georgiades .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Media Business, Media Business Transfer Center, Berlin, Germany

    Mike Friedrichsen

  2. Humboldt Media Business School, Berlin, Germany

    Wolfgang Mühl-Benninghaus

Appendix: List of Matters Discussed During the Interviews

Appendix: List of Matters Discussed During the Interviews

Description of department

  1.  1.

    Operations, structure, number of people, positions

  2.  2.

    Decision making process

Arrangement provided by management to encourage and enable you to get involved in the decision making process

  1.  3.

    Does management express confidence in you?

  2.  4.

    Does management provide training to help you get involved in decisions?

  3.  5.

    Does management provide operational freedom and job autonomy? Does this make you feel responsible and accountable?

  4.  6.

    Does management provide you with authority in your job?

  5.  7.

    Do managers show you the final management decisions made and explain how you affected the final management decision?

  6.  8.

    Would you say that the employee-manager and employee–employee relationships in your team/department and group climate, social structures and interactions affect your involvement in the decisions made in your department? How and why?

  7.  9.

    Do you feel that management trust your creativeness by encouraging open-door communication, collaboration, team work? Does this make you want to get involved and create?

Creativeness and innovation

  1. 10.

    Do they expect your decisions to lead to innovation and creativeness? How do they check you achieve this?

  2. 11.

    How can you create something in media? How do you respond to social needs? What process do you follow to achieve this?

  3. 12.

    Incentives: How do they motivate you to innovate and to create? Is it via money or/and other methods? Which methods?

  4. 13.

    Should they show you the profits from your creation and innovation and explain how and what you achieved in terms of profits? Is this an encouragement to make creative and innovative decisions?

  5. 14.

    Would you say that you like to work in media because they push you to create and innovate?

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Georgiades, S. (2013). Employees’ Conceptions of How Management Can Operationalize Employee Involvement. In: Friedrichsen, M., Mühl-Benninghaus, W. (eds) Handbook of Social Media Management. Media Business and Innovation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28897-5_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation