The Age of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World

The Age of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World

by Patricia McLagan and Christo Nel

Paperback - 312 pages (January 1997) Publishers Group West; ISBN: 1576750124 $18.00

Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager

"The Age of Participation is a must-read for people who want their organizations to survive in the future. McLagan and Nel provide a fitting burial for authoritarianism and paint an exciting picture of the future."

Julie O'Mara, coauthor of Managing Workforce 2000: Gaining the Diversity Advantage

"A must-read for all those involved in managing diversity-and that's all of us. Every page contains words of wisdom that will cause you to think and create an environment where participation-the key to success in today's rapidly changing workplace-can thrive and grow."

Written for managers, consultants, and labor union leaders, this book defines the new "participative" organization and explains why this type of structuring is necessary in the modern world. It offers a look at industry models and suggests ways to deflate the misconceptions that can sabotage organizational change. 10 charts.

Political systems everywhere are moving toward democratic forms as people reject authoritarian government, bureaucracy and the denial of human rights. Featuring an opportunity for readers to participate by progressively completing an organization assessment, this book is a practical, experience-based handbook for instituting, sustaining and nurturing the changes necessary today.

McLagan and Net explain why participative governance is a major issue of our times, affecting all areas of our lives: education, business, government, families, and community organizations. In The Age of Participation they focus on participation in the workplace, blending theory and practice in numerous examples and industry models. They look closely at every role in the organization - from suppliers and customers to executives and unions - and deflate the fears and misperceptions that sabotage change. Finally, they show why the shift to participation can't and won't occur unless all of us are willing to go through the personal changes needed to thrive and survive in a workplace and a world that is vastly different than the one in which we were born.

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