Limitations of participation:
1. Technology and organization today are so complex that specialized work roles are required making it difficult for people to participate successfully if they go very far beyond their particular environment. This means that low level workers can participate successfully in operating matters but they usually have difficulty in participating in policy matters.
2. Another issue' is an employee's not to participate. There is no evidence that participation is good for everybody. Many people do not want to be bothered with participation.
3. Another problem is that participative situations can be used covertly to manipulate employees. This manipulation is not necessarily done by the management. It may be by the union or by undercover cliques led by members skilled in group dynamics the social engineers of constant.
4. The feudalistic concept of the master and the servant is still prevalent among industrial workers especially in India. Workers have an innate feeling that they are born to serve and not to rule. Participative management naturally is of little interests to such workers.
5. The role of trade unions in promoting participative management is far from satisfactory. Most of the unions indulge in politicking and have little time to think about participation. The attitude of individual's members too is not conducive to the promotion of participative management.
6. The unwillingness of the employers to share power with the workers representatives the disinterest of the workers and the perfunctory attitude of the government towards participation act as stumbling blocks in the way of promotion of participative management.