Demand for Participation

Abstract

Employee attitudes toward participation in decision-making were examined in a questionnaire study of 87 black and 72 white clerks in South Africa. Unlike previous studies, their attitudes toward direct and indirect forms of influence as well as participation in local, medium, and distant decisions were separately assessed. There were no differences in the amounts of participation desired by the black and white clerks, but the black clerks felt they were offered significantly less opportunities than did the white clerks. Perceived influence in decision-making was positively related to job satisfaction, but desired influence was negatively related to job satisfaction in both groups. It is argued that the amount of participation desired may depend upon the strength of "basic needs" rather than work experiences and that effective distant participation may depend upon first involving employees in decision-making at the local level.