Barriers to participatory programs include:
| • | A lack of time for meetings at which appropriate input from employees could be obtained; |
| • | Solutions not being implemented by the departments responsible for purchasing new equipment or modifying existing equipment; |
| • | Poor motivation of those involved; and |
| • | Supervisors or managers paying 'lip service' to the process but failing to deliver tangible change.
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 It is easier to build on successes when the benefits and outcomes can be demonstrated
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Barriers to implementing programs are more likely in organisations where trust between employees and management is poor. This is often a result of an unhelpful workplace culture. In these circumstances the program may be seen as:
| • | Time consuming and unproductive; |
| • | A threat to supervisors or managers; |
| • | A superficial exercise that will not be implemented; and / or |
| • | An opportunity for opposing factions to use the process in a negative way. |
Negative perceptions of the program will hinder its implementation. Addressing such negative perceptions may take time. For an explanation of what workplace culture is, as well as some ideas about how to assess and improve yours, see the section on:
Cultural Revolution: Optimising Workplace Culture For Injury Management And RTW.
Overcoming barriers requires persistence, influence, and collaboration.
One way of overcoming resistance is to start small and demonstrate success. It is easier to build on successes when the benefits and outcomes can be demonstrated. For example, improvements in the way one machine is set up can demonstrate improvements to employees and their supervisor.
