Participation in Organizational Change: A Longitudinal Field Study

Abstract

This study was carried out as part of a long-term Quality of Work Life experiment in one division of a utility. The experiment is part of a national effort to examine collaborative union-management problem-solving and change implementation. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of a formal participative process of implementing change established as part of the experiment. Participation occurred in two levels or intensities: (1) direct via membership on either a joint committee or on one of several task forces, and (2) indirect or nonmembership. Subjects were measured at three points in time on a variety of perceptual and attitudinal measures. An analysis of covariance revealed that when job level and pretest scores were held constant, direct participants increased in their perceptions of influence in decision-making and in organizational attitudes in comparison to indirect participants. A second analysis indicated that the changes persisted during an additional time interval. It was concluded that the participative process was a major intervention in the experiment. Recommendations for enhancing formal modes of participation were provided.

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