Can empowering employees truly transform academic libraries? This study investigates the application of participative management in academic information services, exploring the degree to which empowering employees impacts organizational effectiveness. The research examines whether involving staff in decision-making fosters a more responsive and flexible **library science** environment, promoting greater success. The study, conducted via an empirical survey, reveals that participative management is indeed practiced within academic information services in the Gauteng province of South Africa. However, the survey also demonstrates that this approach is most commonly applied to low-level decisions. This suggests that participation remains limited and under managerial control, failing to fully recognize employees' inherent right to contribute at all levels. Ultimately, the survey's findings underscore the need for a genuine shift towards implementing formal patterns of participation, where employees are empowered to contribute meaningfully to all tiers of decision-making. This shift would align with the core principles of participative management and foster a more collaborative and effective **library management** system.
Published in Library Management, this article aligns with the journal's emphasis on organizational strategies within library settings. By investigating the implementation and impact of participative management, it contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding leadership, employee empowerment, and operational effectiveness in academic information services. The paper references existing literature in library science and organizational behavior.