PARALLEL PARTICIPATION STRUCTURES.

The article discusses various forms and design factors that influence the effectiveness of parallel participation structures of business organizations focusing particularly on the Quality Circle. For those who want to build a more change-oriented and participative environment in a lasting manner, the only solution is to design approaches that are not parasitic on the regular organization. This implies the transfer of responsibility and authority and alteration of role expectation and reward systems in organizations. In other words, it requires alteration in the system and processes of the regular organization. This is a far more risky and fundamental change than the creation of parallel problem-solving processes. Parallel participation programs can be a first step in moving an organization toward organizational effectiveness through employee involvement. It does not follow, however, that parallel programs are the best way to move toward high involvement structures. The ability of the organization to benefit from the efforts of such parallel structures requires that they may be more tightly coupled with the regular organization. Indeed, there is little evidence that it actually happens even though at first glance it seems like a good way to start. The reasons for this are the fundamental characteristics of activities which are parallel in nature. They are often structured to avoid impacting the regular organization's way of operating.