One of the main tasks of the manager in his day-to-day life is decision-making and management of the efforts of the collaborators, for this it requires skills developed in the area of personnel management and in the field of decisions, information is mainly required from quality, ingenuity, knowledge and experience, we have always stressed the importance of an adequate selection of the personnel that are part of our work team, and that is that each member is important and should be treated as such, when it is managed taking into account experiences, knowledge, opinions of everyone in the work team, decisions usually have a higher quality, wisdom and commitment.
Participatory management is a management process and model that focuses on the evaluation and use of information, through the active participation of team members to achieve the objectives set and the different ways in which power can be distributed or shared. (ability to influence the behavior of people) in organizations, although the final responsibility for decisions rests with the team leader, the collaborators to whom in the end they will also be affected, make their respective contributions, In this sense, the manager involves each employee to contribute to the effort, valuing each member and having a more open, responsible and flexible management.
Dachler and Wilpert (1978) suggest taking into account what is the justification that the company seeks to initiate or maintain actions that encourage the participation of its workers. Fundamentally, they consider two points of view compatible with the capitalist enterprise and the hierarchical authority of the chain of command. On the one hand, companies that raise a humanistic argument and on the other, companies for which participation has an instrumental value.
The humanist point of view is based on the works of various authors (Herzberg, F., 1968; McGregor, D., 1969; Hackman, JR and Oldham, GR, 1980; Likert, R., 1986; Maslow, AH, 1991). In them, the mental health of the workers is considered a key aspect for the company to function effectively and efficiently. Here the development of the person is important where their activities give them an intrinsic reward, this is oriented to higher order needs such as the social field, esteem, self-realization and this can be achieved to a great extent through participation.
Now, when we talk about instrumental value for the company, the main objective is to increase productivity and efficiency by reducing costs derived from unwanted effects such as low quality, low productivity, absenteeism, voluntary company leave, among others..
When it comes to managing participatively, the manager does not lose control as many think, much less ceases to be important as many are concerned, the manager may continue to be the leader but his management will be much more open, participatory, with a greater degree of commitment, responsibility, effective communication, creativity and innovation, encouraging new ways of doing things and decisions with a greater degree of wisdom among others.
It is important when applying this type of management to take into account:
- Create Improvement Teams: They present the management with a specific improvement initiative. Quality circles: it is a permanent group that analyzes and improves a complex issue. Intervention teams: they are temporary and face a specific need that requires immediate office. Reward improvement ideas: those that are of great value in terms of production and cost savings. Have virtual communities: they are forums for discussion of improvement initiatives and informal knowledge of the organization. Have the question of the month: it encourages the participation of the environment in a specific area. Have a suggestion box:It is a well-known way, it makes the most of current technology. Having an Intranet: which is a network for the distribution of information where only the collaborators of the organization have access, of great utility and diverse objectives. information return channels: it refers to two-way communication. Carrying out Organizational Climate Studies : there is a great opportunity to learn about internal public opinion. Having face-to- face meetings: they are of great value with regard to direct communication. Relationship between several departments: in projects where it is feasible and make the most of it. Empower your team through academic development:send them to updates and courses that are of great benefit to the entire organization. Value your work team: treat them for what they are, essential parts for business success. As a manager get involved: do your best
This form of management has been used by large companies obtaining great benefits as they themselves catalog it, among them are Microsoft, Xerox, Herman Miller, Hewlett-Packard (HP) among others, as well as these giant companies there are SMEs that in the same way they follow this management model and are happy with the results they obtain from their application, when I meet companies that use or want to use this management model I am very excited, since I think it is great, and I think that in this way we give it a real and tangible value to our primary element in the success of organizations, PEOPLEAlthough like everything else, it has its weaknesses and detractors, but I think that on a scale there are more benefits that we obtain when managing under this modality than when we do it with a system that is far from the opposite.
As managers we have the duty to be open and to be able to innovate, to prepare ourselves, update ourselves in management models and tools in order to apply the appropriate one and be much more productive and successful, once the great Albert Einstein said that “the mind is equal to a parachute It only works if it is opened ”.
To conclude, I leave you for reflection what the great master in management issues Peter Drucker once said "No one should be appointed to a management position if their vision is focused on the weaknesses, rather than on the strengths of people."
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Author: Lcdo. Michael Aular - Micdan Consulting
