Authority and Democracy in Organizations

Abstract

Participativeness as a style of supervision is considered as a dependent variable. The data do not directly support the initial hypotheses in any important way, but severalfindings of interest emerge indirectly from a more detailed, multivariate analysis. First, supervisory behavior in these terms is probably influenced significantly by affect between supervisor and subordinates. Second, when affect is not a factor, supervisory style is more rational, with participativeness depending on the training of the subordinates and their perceived capacity to contribute constructively to decision-making. Third, the measurement of participativeness in research affects theoretical development in an important way, since the technical and professional level of subordinates probably has a significant effect upon their objective level of participation but not upon the degree of participation as reported by them. Fourth, the latter finding is significant for the much more common body of research in which participation is treated as an independent variable; it may help to clear up many puzzling and inconsistent findings in that tradition. Lastly, the data analysis suggests a new normative and descriptive conceptualization of democracy in the workplace, which is offered in conclusion as a competitor of the power-equalization approach.