The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin recently carried out a major survey of managers and employee representatives throughout the twelve member states of the European Community to ascertain the degree of participation that existed in the introduction of new technology. This paper first sets out an explanatory framework consisting of five country-specific factors; management's reliance on its workforce to achieve its objectives, management style and attitude towards participation, the bargaining power of organized labour, legal regulation and the degree of centralization of the industrial relations system. These explanatory factors are used to explain the wide diversity in the levels and form of participation across the Community.
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