Employee Involvement and Organisational Change: The Diffusion of High Involvement Management in Australian Workplaces

Abstract

This chapter explores what is meant by high involvement management (HIM) and evaluates developments through a literature review, analysis of existing secondary data sources and original case study research into four innovative organisations which have experienced organisational change. A greater focus has been placed on management strategies to increase organisational productivity and efficiency at the workplace. These strategies have been labelled high performance workplaces, high commitment management (HCM) and more lately, high involvement management (HIM). HIM is premised on organisations pursuing an integrated approach. This involves ensuring that employee relations policies are incorporated into all aspects of the organisation's planning and implementation process. The Workplace Bargaining Surveys conducted by the Department of Industrial Relations reinforced the importance of consultation to successful workplace reform. This has been confirmed by a number of other studies. The chapter suggests that the implementation of employee involvement and participation programs can be linked to improved organisational performance.