Here’s a great article by Peter Grazier who has worked with employee involvment for 25 years:
When I began working with employee involvement concepts in 1980, I was unbelievably ignorant of the human dimension of organization performance. As a degreed engineer, most of my training had been in the “hard” sciences and left little time for other subjects. I did attend some of the required courses in the humanities such as History of Art, but never in six years of higher education did I receive training in what I call Human Dynamics.
My education finally came with my entrance into the world of employee involvement. And, to say the least, my beliefs about how organizations operate (or should operate) have changed significantly.
He goes on to his three key learning points:
- Everyone has something to contribute…and will if the environment is right.
- The human element of performance is more important than the technical element.
- Most decisions can be significantly improved through collaboration.
I like it, and I agree completely! Not only will this get people involved – it will also make them happy at work.