This thesis provides an examination of the theory and practice of Employee Involvement and Participation in the Libyan context. It consists of three case studies of multinational oil companies operating in Libya. Additionally, a detailed discussion is also provided about the Libyan oil regulatory agency - the National Oil Corporation (NOC) - and its influence on multinational oil companies operating in Libya. The empirical work involved, interviews with management and employees and a survey of employees as the main data collection tools within the three companies, and analysis of corporate documents. The results suggest that the three multinational companies i.e. Italian Eni-Gas, German Wintershall, and British Expro, share a similar approach to Employee Involvement and Participation, exhibiting popular downward communication, weak upward problem-solving techniques, and a lack of financial participation and nominated representative participation. Most of the similarities among these case studies are attributed to the strong influence of the NOC. Various differences were also observed in many respects, being explained by contextual factors such as technology, the style of management, and some small influence from the parent foreign company. This study also suggests that employee participation in decision-making is generally at the infonnative level, with consultation featuring at the bottom of ladder. The scope of EIP programmes was found to be tactical rather than strategic. Due to 'spiritless' initiatives of EIP programmes, their implementation was largely in the hands of individual managers. The effects of employee involvement and participation were also varied such as high levels of commitment, organisational performance and improve employee attitudes. It was confirmed that employee trust in their nominated representatives was minimal, and that more trust was placed in managers.