The Long and Winding Road: Tracking Employee Involvement at Brown's Woven Carpets

Abstract

A case study of the employee involvement (EI) program at Brown's Woven Carpets, a private, family-owned, UK textile manufacturer, over the period from the 1986-1987 original study to the present day shows that EI has developed in waves across time. Brown's has utilized a variety of EI efforts and has continued to buck the industry trend by increasing turnover, exports, market share, and profits. The new regime has seen a loosening of top management control over functional areas. In addition, rather than leaving EI to deteriorate, Brown's has redirected successive waves of EI modern purposes. Responses of Brown's weavers to a questionnaire indicate that, although they have a low sense of involvement, they have a high recognition of the various EI techniques and generally support their continuation. In general, Brown's EI has moved from its early reactive impetus into a more expansive proactive phase.