HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE. IN SEARCH OF AN INTEGRATED MODEL
Jan Kees Looise, Dr., Professor of HRM, University of Twente, The Netherlands
Nicole Torka, Dr., Faculty Management & Governance, University of Twente, The Netherlands

Abstract
The contribution of human resource management (HRM) to organizational performance has been extensively researched in the last decade. However, within this stream of research, compared to other aspects of HRM, not much attention has been given to the role of worker participation, especially in its indirect and institutional forms. This is somewhat surprising given the fact that authors like Rogers and Streeck (1995) state that one of the aims of these forms of participation lies in performance upgrading and the relatively little research conducted has shown a positive effect of indirect participation on firm performance. This article adds to the understanding of the connection between worker participation – in both its direct as well as its indirect forms – and HRM and their contribution to organizational performance. We do so by presenting an integrated model. Therefore the article also bridges the gap between the Industrial Relations literature on the one hand and HRM-literature on the other.
Keywords: HRM, direct and indirect worker participation, organizational performance