The major concept in participative management is the idea that all of the people who work for a firm should have serious input into the way that the firm is run.  This is a management strategy in which all company employees (and not simply the upper management) get to participate in making decisions about how the company will operate.

In participative management, all employees are asked to take part in decision making.  At the lowest levels, this may mean that employees take part in making their own work schedules.  Or it may mean that the supervisory staff encourages workers to make suggestions about the daily operations of the plant.  It is important to note that these contributions must be treated seriously if participative management is to work.

Overall, participative management is a concept in which all employees of a firm are encouraged to be part of the process of making decisions for the firm.