THE RELEVANCE OF EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING IN ORGANIZATIONS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Decision making is one of the most germane activities of management. It has been the preoccupation of all the management of multinational organization ranging from small-scale organization to multinational corporations. Managers at times consider decision making to be the heart of their job in that must always choose what is to be done, who will do it, when, where and most of the time how it will be done. Traditionally, managers influence the ordinary employees and specifically, their immediate subordinate in the organization. This has resulted in managers making natural decisions even in and affecting their subordinators. In Germany, around 1951, a law enacted which provides for code termination and require labour membership in the supervisory board and executive committee of certain large corporations. However, the participation of labour management relations. Additionally, the Japanese management wise decision making by consensus in which lower-level employee initiate the Naches desk of the top executive. If the proposal is approved, it is returned to the initiation for implementation.
It should be known first that a decision is a choice whereby a person forms a conclusion about a situation Zalkind, (2013), confined the term decision making to choice process, choosing one from among several possibilities. However, election theory in Costello et al (2013) largely considers decision as asking the process of making a single choice among course of action at a particular point in time. This depicts a course of behaviours about what must be done or vice versa. Decision however, is the point at which plans, policies and objectives are translated into concrete actions. Planning engenders decisions guided by company policy and objectives, policies, procedures and to channel human behaviour toward a future goal.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
An employee is an integral part of the workforce whose contribution physically and ideologically cannot be written off. In most instances, one way or the other employees are not fully engaged in making decisions in an organization but are relegated to mere executors of such decisions which come from the senior management officers of the organization. Most employees have a sophisticated stock of ideas which is left untapped by management thus in some instance, the employees are afraid of contributing due to a phobia of being sanctioned by their employers for disrespect and break of command line protocol in the workplace.
In Nigeria, most commentators on this subject of employee participation in decision making argued that in these lower strata or rank, employees lack qualified requisite skills or ideas to contribute to decision making. Some on the other hand support the fact that they are indeed qualified individuals who can contribute to decision making thus increasing productivity. From the above, we can deduce that there is in fact a problem that needs to be investigated and solution proffered.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this empirical study is to assess the relevance of employee’s participation in managerial decision making. In public sector organization in Nigerian with reference to Champion Breweries. However, the study also has the following specific purpose: To ascertain the impact of employees participation or non- participation in management decision on productivity of the organization. To ascertain how employees behaviour can be channeled towards achieving future organizational goals. To ascertain the extent of employees participation in decision making. To assess the impact of employees participation in management decision making. To make recommendation based on the research findings. To discover if employers make decision based on employee’s opinions.
1.4 Research Questions
With a view to accomplishing this research work effectively, the research poses the following; Does management staff make decision without pre and post discussion and consultation with employees? Does management change decision when rejected by employees? To what extent do employees participate in decision making? How often do employees meet to discuss without managers?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The researcher formulates the following hypothesis base on the objectives and problems of this research work.
H1: Management staffs do not make decision without pre and post discussion and consultation with employees.
Ha: Management staff makes decision without pre and post discussion and consultation with employees.
H2: There is no adequate employee participation in an organizations before decision are made.
Ha: There is adequate employee participation in an organization before decisions are made.
H3: There is no effective communication of decision between the employees and the managers in an organization
Ha: There is effective communication of decision between the employees and the managers in an organization.
H4: Employees are not involved in decision making for high productivity.
Ha: Employees are not involved in decision making for high productivity.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This research work will be relevant to the managers and employees of Champion Breweries. It will also be beneficial to other public sector organization in Nigeria, it will also be of prodigious importance to government, academically, potentially and future researchers on the issues of employee participation in managerial decision making. This empirical study is also germane to researchers since it is a partial requirement for the award of higher national diploma in business administration and management