This paper examines a new program for commitment promotion amongst semi-autonomous groups in the
Western Australian Government Railways (Westrail), which employs about 8,000 people in nine branches.
During 1980, a pilot scheme was undertaken in the operations of the track maintenance gang workers of
the Civil Engineering Branch in one of the six country Districts. The scheme includes procedures of involving
gang workers in planning and scheduling their work. An examination is made of the resultant changes in
attitudinal commitment in terms of output quantities, accident rates, turnover, absenteeism, and attitude
shifts after introduction of the participative work planning scheme. Following this pilot project the scheme
has been extended throughout the State Railway system, and the article briefly comments on the direction
of this activity and some early findings.
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