They rarely speak out candidly or usefully. This doesn't mean that Q4 managers should "give up" on such direct reports. However, they shouldn't demand participation or force it. Constructive participation (as opposed to "going through the motions") cannot be coerced or compelled.

• LIKE IT OR NOT, HEAVY IS THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN. Growth-seeking managers don't kid themselves by thinking that participative management makes their lives easy. Participative management helps them get better data, but it doesn't relieve them of the lonely — and sometimes painful — act of deciding; it helps some of their employees find greater fulfillment, but it doesn't lighten their load of responsibility. When all's said and done, they remain the managers — the only managers in their particular assignments. They cannot allocate or apportion or allot or assign their responsibilities to anyone. Participative management is merely a way of carrying out that responsibility more effectively; it is not a way of getting rid of responsibility.

Conclusion

As was said at the outset, turning alienated employees into committed employees isn't easy. However, it can be done. Growth-seeking, participative management — management that tries to make people feel they count for something — can actually eliminate alienation in some cases and lessen it in others. It may not be the whole answer, but it's usually a big part of the answer. That's a good enough reason to try it.