Implementing Participative Management: Transition Issues from the Field

Abstract

This article tells the story of an attempt to transform the management of Extrusion Company from a traditional to a participative form. It is based on a longitudinal study of this endeavor. The chief executive officer initiated the attempt in a way that created commitment but that led later to disappointment and frustration and, still later, to more relaxed expectations. After more than 2 years, however, the outcome of this transformation endeavor remains undecided. The article analyzes what happened and suggests the term instrumental change management to signify the insufficient attention that was paid to the change process, which seems in turn to account for the lack of change momentum. It further suggests that this term indicates the importance of a leadership dimension as well as a management dimension if organizational transformation is to occur. © 2000, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.