Article,
Industrial Democracy in Europe: Differences and Similarities Across Countries and Hierarchies
Organization Studies, 2 (2): 113-129 (April 1981)
Abstract
This article attempts to present the focus, methodology, and preliminary results of an international collaborative research project on industrial democracy involving twelve countries in Europe including Yugoslavia and Israel. Rather than explaining variations in participation, power, and influence in terms of contingencies such as personal attributes and characteristics of participants, on the one hand, or structural and tech nological features of organization, on the other hand, the research looks at both de jure and de facto participation in terms of participative structure (PS), power distribution (PO), and their outcomes (O). Initial findings with respect to differences and similarities across countries are presented. One of the main conclusions to be derived from the research is that, whereas all countries reveal a consistent hierarchy in the organizations studied, political and economic environments institutionally reflected in de jure participation can, however, significantly modify hierarchical patterns in organizations, but apparently not dissolve them as such. Another finding reported is that workers’ satisfaction is unaffected by their own direct influence or that of their works council. But workers value representa tive participation for its own sake, the more their influence or involvement. Further democratization may require a change in national legal arrangements.
