The significance of consultation and delegation in the new forms of work organisation: the need for a re-appraisal?

Abstract

The European Foundation's EPOC survey results suggest there is a need to reappraise the relative significance of the two main forms of direct participation: consultation and delegation. Unexpectedly, in the light of the very different priority accorded to them in both the policy and scientific debates, not only does a majority of respondent managers regard the consultative forms of direct participation as more important than the delegative forms but the effects of the consultative forms on a range of indicators of performance are also considered to be at least equal to those of the delegative forms. Intriguingly, too, statistical analysis suggests the consultative forms are more likely to be associated with positive employment trends than delegation.