An investigation into the impact of employee participation in strategic decision making on organisational effectiveness: A case study of the Heritage school, 2010 to 2013

Abstract

The research investigated the impact of employee participation in strategic decision making on organisational effectiveness. It studied The Heritage School as a case from 2010 to 2013. The study was necessitated by the need to establish the impact of employee involvement on school outcomes. This was in light of the fact that management at the school is not involving non-managerial employees when making strategic decisions. Primary and secondary data gathered from respondents was analysed to reveal dimensions of participation and to explore the relationship between these dimensions and several outcome variables. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent of employee involvement, to establish the school’s effectiveness in achieving set outcomes namely: pass rates, productivity, student population, innovation and job satisfaction. The study went on to establish the relationship between employee involvement in strategic decision making and Heritage School’s outcomes. Relevant literature was reviewed in line with the conceptual framework which contrasted the ideal set versus the set up at The Heritage School in terms of outcomes. This led to the methodology section. A survey was used for the research and ninety two (92) questionnaires were used to gather data from the respondents. The respondents were all employees at The Heritage School and a 100% response rate was achieved. Two interviews were conducted with the School Principal and Registrar to obtain in-depth answers and also to clarify unclear responses thus improving validity and reliability of results. Major findings were that the extent of involvement of employees in strategic decision making is limited with some workers not even sure about how they are involved and some claiming involvement only non-strategic and routine matters. There is a general decline in achieving set outcomes such as pass rates, job satisfaction, student population, innovation and productivity. There is a positive relationship between employee involvement in strategic decision making and The Heritage School outcomes. However non involvement does not necessarily result in the decline of employees’ performance.

The conclusion reached was that employee involvement as a management tool in decision-making would positively impact the school’s effectiveness in achieving its outcomes. It makes employees feel more responsible for their actions and see themselves as stakeholders who must do their best to ensure that decisions are implemented well for the benefit of all. Consequently it is recommended that management at The Heritage School should put in place a strategic decision making processes that involves non-managerial employees . This should assist in an improvement of achieving the Schools’ outcomes.