Participative management and its varying relevance in Hong Hong and Singapore

First, the process whereby developing countries become developed is discussed in terms of complexity, neutrality in social relations, and the achievement ethic. An examination of managerial attitudes in eight South-East Asian countries is followed by the results of a comparative study of manufacturing industry in Hong Kong and Singapore. It was concluded that in Singapore participation leads to higher productivity (r_s 0.71, p<0.05) but only because the context is mainly foreign. This relationship was not found in Hong Kong probably because Hong Kong enterprises remain non-bureaucratic, i.e. non-western. A more participative style of management requires radical changes in non-managers' expectations of their employers, as well as a significant increase in the extent to which superiors trust their subordinates. The evidence suggests that Asian managers (except those in Japan and, possibly, Singapore) favour an autocractic approach.Dr. S.G. Redding is Professor of Management Studies and Head of Department at the University of Hong Kong. Dr. S. Richardson formerly Head, Production & Industrial Engineering Department, Hong Kong Polytechnic is now in the School of Management, National University of Singapore.