Industrial democracy is now fashionable in many circles in the West, and there have been significant moves to extend existing forms of worker participation and to introduce new forms during the 1970s. Explanations of the popularity of industrial democracy are varied and the reasons for espousing it sometimes seem to be in direct conflict. It may, for example, be seen as a way of increasing productivity and profits. Or it may be seen as a way of overcoming the alienation of the assembly line worker and promoting a socialist ideal.