International Aspects of Industrial Democracy

Blumberg observes that, “The main thrust of the autocratic organisation is to drive the mature adult back into childhood. The mature adult strives to take an active part in his world, but the chain of command at work renders him passive. He seeks to be independent and to control his own behaviour, but as an employee, he is rendered dependent and essentially lacking in control over his own behaviour. … At every turn, the psychological needs of the mature individual are at odds with the demands of the autocratic organisation. The consequences are dysfunctional, both for the individual and for the organisation. The employee's principal reaction is frustration which may be expressed in any number of ways, most of which are detrimental all round : aggression, ambivalence, regression, apathy, restriction of output and otherwise subverting the goals of the organisation.” It does not need restating that regardless the degree of automatisation attained through the ever surprising technological advances, the human factor remains the single biggest contributor to the functioning of any plant in industry. And numerous research findings confirm that the ‘participating worker’ is an involved worker. In Blumberg's words, “… his job becomes an extension of himself, and by his decisions, he is creating his work, modifying and regulating it. As he is more involved in his work, he becomes more committed to it, and, being more committed, he naturally derives more satisfaction from it” If this assertion is correct, it follows therefore that worker participation is an inalienable ingredient to the recipe of good industrial relations. Apart from being an instrument of peace at the workplace, worker participation embodies the principles of social justice, and also upholds the dignity of workers as homosapiens, casting itself not as just another ingredient to industrial peace, but the determining factor of that peace. Bell suggests two basic reasons why ‘worker participation’ is inalienable to sound industrial relations;