Brief Description of Workplace & Effectiveness of Democracy
After more than two decades of a shifting global economy, the emerging consensus is that organizational competitiveness and efficiency to a large extent relies on developing and implementing more flexible and democratic systems of work (Lazes & Savage, 1996). Indeed, many global organizations are paying great attention to a multiplicity of processes aimed at enhancing democratic breakthroughs at the workplace. IBM is one such global organization that has over the years strived to adopt new management tools and techniques rooted in democratic principles. A quick assessment of the corporation reveals that the organization has succeeded in creating a working environment that fully engages employees, not to mention that the workplace is dedicated to employee self-governance, transparency, accountability, due process, freedom, and democratic structuring (Thomas, 2004).
There exist compelling evidence that, in the presence of effective checks and balances, democratizing the workplace is the only way to go in the 21st century to remain competitive and effective (Brian, 2009). IBM’s phenomenal growth in the last couple of years bears witness to the fact that democratizing the workplace can be both rewarding and resourceful. Various studies have associated undemocratic organizations with turnover, employee disorientation, and groupthink, while democratic workplaces have been associated with job enrichment, career development, job sharing, creativity, and innovativeness (Lazes & Savage, 1996).
With proper checks and balances, self-consciousness on the part of employees, and self-regulation, democracy can be sustained in the contemporary workplace. Indeed, current trends as demonstrated by the popular media reveal that organizations, public or private, that have embraced the concept of a democratic workplace continue to outperform firms that are tightly controlled by a few individuals at the expense of the majority
Description of Democratic Principles & Issues of Diversity
Employee engagement and employee self-governance, central pillars in democratizing the workplace, relate to perceiving employees as stakeholders and partners in the decision-making process, including allowing them the opportunity to govern their own work schedules provided they deliver and remain productive. In consequence, employees have the freedom and “…right to influence the conditions of work as well as the policy of the workplace” (Kester & Britwum, 2007, p. 296). No democracy can flourish without the principles of accountability and transparency. Accountability implies that employees and management must be responsible for the decisions and actions they take, while transparency in an organizational setup implies that decisions and actions of management must be open to scrutiny by employees and that employees have a right to access such information (Democracy Web, n.d.).
Workplace diversity describes the broad range of racial, socio-cultural, linguistic, and religious differences that employees bring to an organization (Banks et al., n.d.). In reference to democratic principles, diversity is central to the effectiveness and sustainability of principles such as freedom, accountability, self-governance, and transparency since it is considered to be inclusive of everyone. According to Banks et al (n.d.), diversity promotes democratic principles by creating organizations that fully embrace an overarching set of collective beliefs, ideals, and aspirations to which all employees are committed. Further analyses demonstrate that organizations practicing the mentioned democratic principles and values are more able to secure the liberties that come with workplace diversity.
Consequently, not only does diversity promotes democratic principles in the workplace, it enables employees to experience freedom, justice, peace, and a cordial working relationship (Banks et al, n.d.). These values ingeniously assist in further promoting democratic principles in the workplace, assisting employees to secure and defend their rights.
Reference List
Banks, J.A., Banks, C.A.M., Cortes, C.E., Hahn, C.L., Merryfield, M.M., Moodley, K.A…Parker, W.C. (n.d.). Democracy and diversity: Principles and concepts for educating citizens in a global age. Web.
Democracy Web. (n.d.). Accountability and Transparency: Essential Principles. Web.
Kester, G., & Britwum, A.O. (2007). Trade unions and workplace democracy in Africa. London: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Brian, G. (2009). From neo-corporatism to delegative corporatism? Empowerment of NGOs during early democratization. Democratization, 16(5), 898-921.
Lazes, P., & Savage, J. (1996). A union strategy for saving jobs and enhancing workplace democracy. Labor Studies Journal, 21(2), 96-121.
Thomas, D.A. (2004). Diversity as strategy. Harvard Business Review, 82(9), 98-108.