Re-engagement with the employee participation debate: beyond the case of contested and captured terrain

Paul J Gollan and Ying Xu
Additional contact information
Paul J Gollan: Macquarie University, Australia
Ying Xu: Macquarie University, Australia

Work, Employment & Society, 2015, vol. 29, issue 2, NP1-NP13

Abstract: This e-special issue showcases employee participation research published in Work, Employment and Society over the last few decades. The editorial introduction provides an overarching review of the literature and also sets an agenda for future research. In particular, this article is concerned with the question of whether employee participation really brings employees increased voice and well-being, or whether it is simply an agenda that promotes the interests of employers. The article examines the evolution of employee participation and variation in its meanings and forms, and discusses research focused on its antecedents and outcomes. The paradox in the evolution of employee participation, and the mixed findings of outcomes, especially those from the perspectives of employees, highlights a need for interdisciplinary re-examination of the legitimacy of employee participation – when and how it works well for both employers and employees in changing organizational and societal contexts – and suggests looking beyond the conventional debate of contested versus captured terrain.

Keywords: employee participation; employee voice; industrial relations; interdisciplinary research; non-union employee representation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://wes.sagepub.com/content/29/2/NP1.abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:29:y:2015:i:2:p:np1-np13

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Work, Employment & Society from British Sociological Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().