WHAT A MESS! PARTICIPATION AS A SIMPLE MANAGERIAL RULE TO 'COMPLEXIFY' ORGANIZATIONS.

Ashmos, Donde P.; Duchon, Dennis; McDaniel, Jr., Reuben R.; Huonker, John W.

This paper adopts a view of organizations as complex adaptive systems and makes a case for making organizations more complex internally through the use of a fairly simple managerial rule — using participative decision making. Participation in decision making enhances connectivity in organizations, which in turn, gives the organization the opportunity to self-organize and co-evolve in more effective ways than when there is minimal connectivity (i.e., autocracy). The paper uses a specific body of research to support the arguments about why participation can benefit the practice of management in modern organizations.

ORGANIZATION; ADAPTABILITY (Personality); COMPLEX organizations; EMPLOYEE participation in management; DECISION making; MANAGEMENT science; PROBLEM solving; DECISION theory; INDUSTRIAL relations; CORPORATE culture; MANAGEMENT styles; EMPLOYEE empowerment

Journal of Management Studies (Wiley-Blackwell), 2002, Vol 39, Issue 2, p189

0022-2380

Academic Journal

10.1111/1467-6486.00288