SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH – Chapter VIII

CHAPTER VIII

SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

CONTENTS

8.1 Suggestions and Contributions

8.2 Scope for Future Research

CHAPTER VIII

SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

8.1 Suggestions and Contributions

Workers’ participation in management has implied great importance these days because it reduces industrial strife and lends a hand in dispelling employees’ misunderstandings about the attitude of management in industry. Utmost importance to the workers’ participation in management is being given by the organizations. Organizations have been seen to practice sound participative mechanism. Workers’ participation in management may reduce estrangement or increase individual fulfillment of workers.

The findings of this research is an attempt to suggest the significance of workers’ participation in an organization and thus providing a means to endeavor towards better Industrial Relations. The findings of the study contribute to the current scenario of Workers’ Participation in Management and its determinants. The determinant of WPM is one the significant contribution of this study.

In analyzing the nature and extent of worker involvement in workplace change and understanding the significant benefits of Worker Participation in Management the study suggests that WPM is directly proportional to Industrial Relations, Intrinsic Benefits and Productivity,

The following theoretical framework is tested in the present study which would help HR practitioners and academic world in better understanding and implementing the subject. The model below suggests that WPM is a function of COM (Conduction of Meetings), PC (Participative Spirit), IB (Employee Involvement) and SS (Suggestion Considerations).

Figure 8.1 WPM Model

A clear picture is depicted about the situation of the participative schemes and workers perception about them in the Sugar and Fertilizer industry of Uttar Pradesh. The study can be used by the HR managers to identify the importance in increasing workers motivation and commitment by increased participation.

From the findings of the study some suggestions/recommendations are given to improve the participation process in not only these two industries but can help in framing more effective policies in any industrial set up. These are enlisted below:

1.  Education is the key factor for all and so is the case with implementation of policies. As it was realized during the study that lack of proper education and training with regard to the content, process and other relevant aspects of participation have also proved an impediment to the growth of workers' participation in the industry. Thus, the first and foremost suggestion is to make the workers’ aware about the benefits and importance of WPM schemes. These education/training programmes are advisable to be conducted during off-season so that it does not affect the normal work routine of factories.

2.  In relation to the point (1) above, management can design a training programme dedicated towards the explanation of concept and working of the policies of Workers’ Participation in Management.

3.  Such training programme/awareness programme can be planned in the following manner:

Awareness Programme

Tell the various Benefits about the participative schemes to the workers

Explain the Objective and Functioning of the participative forums

Get the Feedback about different forms from the workers

Incorporate various forms of participation with the consensus of workers

4.  Management should focus on increasing Shop Floor level participation. Empowerment occurs when authority and responsibility are passed on to the employees who then experience a sense of ownership and control over their jobs. Employees may feel more responsible, may take initiative in their work, may get more work done, and may enjoy the work more.

5.  Stock option plans have been successfully implemented in services sector and in some of the manufacturing sector, where the workers have a certain level of literacy. However, workers in the sugar factories have a low literacy level and it is difficult for the worker to understand and value Employee Stock Option Plans, even though they are beneficial for them. The suggestion here is to introduce the Employee Stock Option Plan in a modified manner. The gains from surrendering stock options can even be designed to include some physical good, like two wheelers or household goods, rather than just money. The worker may be given the option of choosing between the good and money as they might not feel the same satisfaction in possessing company’s shares as they will have in getting physical good. The same comes under the incentive scheme and can be given annually to the workers.

6.  Worker suggestion schemes are being followed by almost all the sugar and fertilizer factories visited. It was noticed that this practice was more in terms of documents than in actual spirit of the concept. Further, the workers at Roza Sugar Mill were apprehensive of giving suggestions. This clearly indicated that there was a lack of trust in the motives of the management and what is needed is a greater transparency in implementing the suggestions scheme. The management might find it worthwhile to introduce suitable rewards for effective suggestions and to ensure that workers are not ridiculed or penalized for sub-standard or seemingly unviable suggestions. It could be a good idea follow the concept of ‘employee of the month’ post implementation of the suggestion and based on the returns got from the suggestion. Communication and the management’s attitude towards workers, too, seems to be an issue in this regard, as workers at Roza Sugar Mill, seemed unsure of how their suggestion would be treated by the management. Greater transparency in deciding on the best suggestions and while implementing hem, giving credit to whom it is due, would ensure a better implementation of this scheme. Further, management should create an atmosphere of trust in the sugar and fertilizer factories if they want an effective suggestion scheme operating there. This can be done by making provisions of structures or forms through which the process and system can be catered for and can function properly Further, they would also feel recognized amongst others which in a way would enhance their motivation level and zeal to be an active part of the organization always.

7.  In addition to the above point, in the organizations with white collar employees, suggestion boxes attract useful suggestions, which prove beneficial not only to the organizations, but at times to the workers as well and in others where the major population is of blue collar workers they have remained dead letter boxes. This is so because immediate seniors forward the suggestions after manipulations and take the credit of such suggestions to please the top management. But there is no doubt that worker’s creative ideas at the workplace can help to raise output, improve quality standards, facilitate the introduction and development of new technologies and processes, and thus ensure that workers are involved in decision making process. To make it more effective management needs to develop a mechanism where, workers can get direct opportunity to make suggestions. One method may be organizing contests and competitions.

8.  During field investigations workers stated that their suggestions are not forwarded to the management properly. Few workers accepted that at some point of time their suggestion have been considered and accepted but in a limited way. Workers also said that they are ready and willing to think creatively and suggest different ways of increasing productivity provided they are given monetary rewards for their efforts. Therefore, it is recommended that, management should take due care of the suggestions provided by workers and must implement the viable suggestions. The best suggestions must be duly recognized and awarded by the management to motivate others to come out with innovate suggestions.

9.  Quality Circles can also be made a part of the exercise for improving worker participation in management. The shop floor matters viz, shift allocation, training schedules, working hours etc., in sugar industry and fertilizer industry can be solved through the use of quality circles. This concept which originated in Japan in 1960, focuses on the workers themselves finding solution to their problems through discussions and application of their knowledge. Using quality circles for sugar industry would involve first coaching the workers in the technique.

10.  Management should focus on using Joint Council and Committees efficiently in order to improve Workers’ Participation in Management. Joint councils are bodies comprising representatives of employers and employees and are not being able to come in its form due to the communication gap between both the parties. This method sees a very loose form of participation, as these councils are mostly consultative bodies, there is a need to remove the mental blocks of workers so that they can come forward. The same can be achieved by conducting the training/awareness programme as discussed earlier in suggestion no. 2. Work committees are a legal requirement in industrial establishments employing 100 or more workers. Such committees discuss a wide range of topics connected to labor welfare.

Examples of such committees are welfare committee, safety committee, etc. Such committees have not proven to be too effective in promoting industrial democracy, increasing productivity and reducing labor unrest. Therefore, as these committees work for the basic requirements of workers, it must be assured that they function properly by having workers representation too.

11.  It is recommended to implement participation at board level to improve Workers’ Participation in Management. This would be the highest form of industrial democracy. The workers’ representative on the Board can play a useful role in safeguarding the interests of workers.

Board representation will provide workers to have a say in-front of management and cultivate a sense of belongingness with the organization. The Government of India took the initiative and appointed workers’ representatives on the Board of Hindustan Antibiotics (Pune), HMT (Bangalore), and even nationalized banks. The Tatas, DCM, and a few others have adopted this practice. Such representatives of workers’ on the Board, places them in minority. And the decisions of the Board are arrived at on the basis of the majority vote. In order to motivate workers about opting out for stock option plan they need to be educated about benefits of stock option plan viz., right to attend Annual General Meeting and right to vote. Monetary rewards associated to i.e., dividend and market capitalization of shares.

12.  Participative Committee meetings are vital to the effective functioning of the committee and its ability to carry out its role. They are the means by which the Committee exercises its collective responsibility for leading the workers towards a healthy and participative environment. Meetings are necessary for effective decision making, reporting, problem solving and its review and further discussions about the same.

In reality running purposeful and participative meetings can be challenging. Common experiences shared by workers regarding such meetings include long discussions with no conclusion and uneven participation. These issues are not easily addressed, but meetings can become more effective if they are well planned with a clear purpose, effectively chaired and focused on decision-making.

The following actions are suggested for making participative committee meetings more effective:

·  Sharing agenda in advance with the workers through notice boards.

·  Circulating the minutes of meetings with the workers.

·  Regularly updating the workers on the actions taken on outcomes of meetings.

13.  It is recommended to improve efficiency and functioning of Participative Spirit, as these committees are already doing well so little efforts can make them potentially very strong. Today’s employees are apart from the laborers of the early 20th century, whose work consisted of narrow, repetitive tasks. Technological advances and the development of a globally competitive marketplace have decentralized decision-making and compelled changes in employer-employee relationships.

The study reveals that committee listens to the day to day issues and try to resolve them and it was found that committees were able to resolve the issues most of the times. Workers believe that if Participative Spirit function effectively it will built trust among workers towards such Participative Spirit. It is recommended that Participative Spirit should be proactive in identifying the workplace related issues and try to resolve them.

14.  An environment should be created to develop a positive perception of workers towards Workers’ Participation in Management. This calls for an open communication system in the organization where workers are free to approach the top management through proper channel for any kind of discussion or problems. The other way is to fix a day every month where management can follow open door policy with the workers. This concept is similar to “Khula Darbar” used by bureaucracy recently and is found to be very successful in resolving the issues of common public. No matter how much management desires or demands that workers should be involved or participate, this will not happen if workers are not willing to take a step forward towards participation. Ultimately, people decide themselves if they want to participate or not. However, the fact that many people choose not to participate themselves, does not imply that they do not, or they are not interested in participation. The reason stated by the workers for not participating was the high influencing power of the senior employees and union leaders at the time of participative meetings. Thus, their thoughts and voice remains suppressed.

Workers accepted that WPM or the Participative Schemes are beneficial to them and have a positive attitude towards such scheme. They perceive that Workers’ Participation is a motivating factor and at the same time believe that it is going to affect their capability and productivity. Workers do believe that WPM affects their commitment level. Hence, it is recommended that management should focus on developing favorable attitude of workers towards WPM policies and practices. This is possible if management takes care of successful implementation of stated policies and ensures that all polices are working effectively.

15.  It is recommended that workers should be allowed to participate in decision making and employer should stop the idea that workers are not mature to cope up with the intricacies of running a modern undertaking. Organizations should organize seminars that are centered towards Workers’ Participation in Management. This will prepare the mind of the workers towards a higher responsibility of participating in organizations decision making.