Participative Management: A Reexamination of the Classics

Abstract

The article reexamines “classic” research on participative management, which is often cited in other research and interpreted incorrectly. The study by K. Lewin, R. Lippitt, and R. K. White, who researched leader behavior in boys' groups and the perception of aggression in groups categorized as democratic or autocratic, is discussed, as well as the interpretation of the study by Campbell and colleagues who refer to group productivity. The study by L. Coch and J. P. R. French Jr. about resistance to change at Harwood Manufacturing Company is criticized by A. Lowin for its research methods.