Participation, Individual Development, and Organizational Change: A Review and Synthesis
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to identify and explore issues associated with the use of participation in conjunction with Organization Development activities. We maintain that the misunderstanding of participative processes places significant limitations on the success of Organization Development interventions and upon acceptance of the field as a whole. To remedy this situation, we suggest that practitioners pay more attention to combining individual and organization development efforts and that researchers devote more energy to exploring the effects of mediating variables on participation outcomes. We recommend the concept of organizational citizenship as a more inclusive frameworkfor research and practice concerning participation in organization development activities.
"Progress for democracy lies in enhancing the actual freedom, initiative and spontaneity of the individual, not only in certain private and spiritual matters, but above all in the activity fundamental to every man's existence, his work." Eric Fromm, 1941.
"If there were a nation of gods, it would be governed democratically. So perfect a government is unsuited to men." Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 176211967.
Get full access to this article
View all access and purchase options for this article.
References
Arendt, H. 1958. The human condition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Argyris, C. 1957. Personality and organization. New York: Harper and Brothers.
Argryis, C. 1964. Integrating the individual and organization. New York, Wiley.
Argyris, C., & Schon D. 1978. Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Beer, M., & Walton, R. 1987. Organization development. Annual Review of Psychology: 3:339-367.
Campbell, J., & Dunnette, M. 1968. Effectiveness of T-group experiences in managerial training and development. Psychological Bulletin, 70: 73-104.
Coch, L., & French, J.P. 1948. Overcoming resistance to change. Human Relations, 1: 512-532.
Dachler, H.P., & Wilpert, B. 1978. Conceptual dimensions and boundaries of participation in organizations: A critical evaluation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23: 1-34.
De Tocqueville, A. 1956. Democracy in America. In R. Heffner (edited version, 1956). New York: Penguin. Original work published in 1835.
Etzioni, A. 1968. The active society. New York: The Free Press.
Evans, P. 1989. Organization development in the transnational enterprise. In R. W. Woodman & W. A. Pasmore (Eds.), Research in organizational change and development, 3: 1-38. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
French, W., & Bell, C. 1973. Organization development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Friedlander,., & Brown, L. (1974). Organization development. Annual Review of Psychology: 25:313-341.
Fromm, E. 1941. Escape from freedom. New York: Avon Books.
Fromm, E. 1955. The sane society. New York: Rinehart.
Guzzo, R., Jette, R., & Katzell, R. 1985. The effects of psychologically based intervention programs on worker productivity: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 38: 275-291.
Hackman, J., & Oldham, G. 1980. Work redsign. Reading, MA., Addison Wesley.
Harrison, R. 1970. Choosing the depth of organizational intervention. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 6:181-202.
Herbst, P. 1976. Alternatives to hierarchies. Asten, The Netherlands: Mennen.
Hirschman, A. 1970. Exit, voice and loyalty. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Jaques, E. 1961. Equitable payment. London, Heinemann.
Jaques, E. 1976. A general theory of bureaucracy. London, Heinemann.
Kahn, W. 1990. Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33: 692-724.
Kanter, R.M. 1982. Dilemmas of management participation. Organizational Dynamics, 11: 5-27.
Kanter, R.M. 1983. The change masters. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Kohlberg, L. 1969. Stages in the development of moral thought and action. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Lawler, E., & Morhman, S. 1987. Quality circles: After the honeymoon. Organizational Dynamics, Spring:
Lewin, K. 1947. Frontiers in group dynamics, Human Relations, 1: 5-41.
Lewin, K. 1948. Resolving social conflicts. New York: Harper and Brothers.
Lewin, K. 1951. Field theory in social science. New York: Harper and Brothers.
Likert, R. 1961. New patterns of management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Likert, R. 1967. The human organization. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Locke, E., Feren, D., McCaleb, V., Shaw, K., & Denny, A. 1980. The relative effectiveness of four methods of motivating employee performance. In K. Duncan, M. Gruneberg, & D. Wallis (Eds.) Changes in working life: 363-388. London: Wiley.
Locke, E. A., & Schweiger, D.M. 1979. Participation in decision-making: One more look. In B. Staw & L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 1: 265-339. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Loevinger, J. 1976. Ego development: Conceptions and theories. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lowin, A. 1968. Participative decision making: A model, literature critique, and perscriptions for research. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 3: 68-106.
Maier, N. 1950. The quality of group decisions as influenced by the discussion leader. Human Relations, 3: 155-174.
Maier, N. 1953. An experimental test of the effect of training on discussion leadership. Human Relations, 6: 161-173.
McGregor, D. 1944. Getting effective leadership in an industrial organization. Advanced Management, 9: 148-153.
McGregor, D. 1960. The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Miller, K., & Monge, P. 1986. Participation, satisfaction, and productivity: A meta-analytic review. Academy of Management Journal, 29: 727-753.
Mirvis, P. 1988. Organization development: Part I-an evolutionary perspective. In W.A. Pasmore & R.W. Woodman (Eds.), Research in organization change and development, 2: 1-58. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Mirvis, P. 1990. Organization Development: Part II-a revolutionary perspective. In W.A. Pasmore & R.W. Woodman (Eds.), Research in organization change and development, 4: 1-66. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Mirvis, P., & Berg, D. 1977. Failures in organization development and change. New York: Wiley and Sons.
Neumann, J. 1989. Why people don't participate in organizational change. In W.A. Pasmore & R.W. Woodman (Eds.), Research in organization change and development, 3: 181-212. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Pasmore, W.A. 1988. Designing effective organizations. New York: Wiley and Sons.
Pasmore, W., & King, D. 1978. Understanding organizational change: A comparative study of multifaceted interventions. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 14: 455-468.
Peirce, J., Gardner, D., Cummings, L., & Dunham, R. 1989. Organizational-based self-esteem: Construct definition, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 32:622-648.
Porras, J., & Robertson, P. 1987. Organization development theory: A typology and evaluation. In R. Woodman & W. Pasmore (Eds.), Research in organization change and development. 1:1-57. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Roethlisberger, F., & Dickson, W. 1939. Management and the worker. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Rousseau, J. 1967. Democracy. In L.G. Crocker (Ed.), The social contract and discourse on the origin of inequality: 69-71. New York: Simon and Schuster. Original work published in 1762.
Sashkin, M. 1984. Participative management is an ethical imperative. Organizational Dynamics, 12: 5-22.
Sashkin, M., & Burke, W.W. 1987. Organization development in the 1980's. Journal of Management, 13: 393-417.
Smith, A., Organ, D., & Near, J. 1983. Organizational citizenship: Its nature and atecedents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68: 653-663.
Smith, C., & Brannick, M. 1990. A role expectancy model of participative decsision making: A replication and Theoretical extension. Journal of Organizational Behvaior, 11: 91-104.
Torbert, W. 1989. Leading organizational transformation. In R. Woodman & W. Pasmore (Eds.) Research in organizational change and development, 3: 83-116. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Vroom, V. 1960. Some personality determinants of the effects of participation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Wagner, J., & Gooding, R. 1987. Shared influence and organizational behavior: A meta-analysis of situational variables expected to moderate participation-outcome relationships. Academy of Management Journal, 30: 524-541.
Walton, R. 1975. The diffusion of new work structures: Explaining why success didn't take. Organizational Dynamics, Winter: 3-21.
Weathersby, R. 1981. Ego development. In A. Chickering & Associates (Eds.), The Modern American College: 51-75. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wood, R., & Bandura, A. 1989. Social cognitive theory of organizational management. Academy of Management Review, 14: 361-384.
Woodman, R.W. 1989. Organizational change and development: New arenas for inquiry and action. Journal of Management, 15: 205-228.
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published: June 1992
Issue published: June 1992
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Article usage*
Total views and downloads: 743
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Altmetric
See the impact this article is making through the number of times it’s been read, and the Altmetric Score.
Learn more about the Altmetric Scores
Articles citing this one
Receive email alerts when this article is cited
Web of Science: 92 view articles Opens in new tab
Crossref: 106
- Change management interventions: Taking stock and moving forward
- Amplify or Suppress? Top Leader Perspective on External Stakeholders' ...
- An Overview of Reviews: Organizational Change Management Architecture
- Repetitive reorganizations, uncertainty and change fatigue
- Understanding the dynamics and conceptualization of environmental citi...
- Using readiness to understand implementation challenges in school ment...
- How does participation impact IT workers' organizational commitment? E...
- Pasmore, William A.: Navigating Between Academy and Industry – Designi...
- Organisation Development
- A construal level analysis of organizational change processes
- Pasmore, William A.: Navigating Between Academy and Industry – Designi...
- An empirical assessment of employer branding as a form of sport event ...
- Testing Interactive Effects of Commitment and Perceived Change Advocac...
- Change
- Participative change toward digitalized, customer-oriented continuous ...
- William A. Pasmore: Navigating Between Academy and Industry – Designin...
- Addressing a product management's orphan: How to externally implement ...
- How Open Has the Practice of Strategic Planning Been?
- Wie könnten wir Organisationsentwicklungen partizipativ gestalten?
- Falling Short with Participation — Different Effects of Ideation, Comm...
- Leading Change Authentically...
- William A. Pasmore
- William A. Pasmore: Navigating Between Academy and Industry – Designin...
- The Impact of Power Distance Orientation on Recipients’ Reactions to P...
- Participation
- Beyond Lewin: Toward a Temporal Approximation of Organization Developm...
- Changing Leadership Dynamics at Agility-Critical Interfaces: Action Re...
- Culture, Communication, and Making Workplaces Healthier
- Remembering and telling the past: a qualitative study of organizationa...
- Participatory safety barrier analysis: a case from the offshore mariti...
- Eighteen shades of grey?
- A Critical Review of Organization Development
- Reactions to organizational change from an individual differences pers...
- Readiness for Change: An Institutional Perspective
- Les comportements de citoyenneté du personnel soignant : lorsque le se...
- Review Article: The past, present and future of organization developme...
- Ethical Duties of Organizational Citizens: Obligations Owed by Highly ...
- A MODEL TO EVALUATE STAKEHOLDER DYNAMICS DURING INNOVATION IMPLEMENTAT...
- Shaking Fruit out of the Tree...
- When Radical Reforms Are on the Agenda...
- Change Recipients’ Reactions to Organizational Change...
- The effects of performance appraisal in the Norwegian municipal health...
- Antecedentes de la resistencia al cambio: factores individuales y cont...
- Leveraging Technology to Develop Creative Leadership Capacity
- Individual Readiness for Organizational Change and Its Implications fo...
- Adopting performance appraisal and reward systems
- Tipping the Balance: Overcoming Persistent Problems in Organizational ...
- The need of effective strategic management during a planned change: An...
- Organization Development: What's Actually Happening?
- Trust and Fairness During Strategic Change Processes in Franchise Syst...
- In justice we trust: Exploring knowledge-sharing continuance intention...
- Assessing the impact of healthy work organization intervention
- Value, Participation and Quality of Electronic Health Records in the N...
- Promoting Work Motivation in Organizations
- The influence of organizational democracy on employees' socio‐moral cl...
- Making Radical Change Happen Through Selective Inclusion and Exclusion...
- Urban Teacher Commitment...
- Employee Commitment in Times of Change: Assessing the Importance of At...
- A Framework for Business Process Change Requirements Analysis
- Ethics and justice in new paradigm and postmodern organization develop...
- Participative Redesign: Action‐Research into the Strategic Restructuri...
- Implementation Activities and Organizational Sensemaking
- Power-Influence in Decision Making, Competence Utilization, and Organi...
- Strategic Change Implementation and Performance Loss in the Front Line...
- Kurt Lewin and the Harwood Studies: The Foundations of OD
- Using Power to Install Strategy: The Relationships between Expert Powe...
- Triggers And Enablers Of Sensegiving In Organizations
- A gender‐sensitive study of McClelland's needs, stress, and turnover i...
- AN EXAMINATION OF THE ANTECEDENTS OF READINESS FOR FINE-TUNING AND COR...
- The employees' attitudes and their connections with the organisational...
- Decision of union workers to participate in employee involvement: an a...
- A process model for educonsulting
- How social accounts and participation during change affect organizatio...
- Employee involvement climate and organizational effectiveness
- Influence of participation in strategic change: resistance, organizati...
- Organisational Learning in the Context of Strategic Reorientation
- Change on the Frontlines: A Perspective from the Trenches
- Organizational Change and Development
- Between Resistance and Commitment: The Social Dynamics of Change on th...
- An exploratory investigation of learning culture theory and employee p...
- A framework for transformational change in organisations
- Empowerment Cognitions and Empowerment Acts...
- Managerial Perceptions of Organizational Planning Benefits
- Implications of OCB and Contextual Performance for Human Resource Mana...
- Human Resource Management within Purchasing Management: Its Relationsh...
- Consistent and Inconsistent Impacts of a Teacher-Led Empowerment Initi...
- Organizational Change: A Review of Theory and Research in the 1990s
- The forces that shape organisational performance measurement systems:
- ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
- The Moral Context of Participation in Planned Organizational Change an...
- An extension of the theory of margin: A framework for assessing readin...
- Toward a theoretical model of evaluation utilization
- Shop Floor Control as a Task of Organizational Development
- Benchmarking to Improve the Strategic Planning Process in the Hotel Se...
- Conditions for staff acceptance of organizational change: Burnout as a...
- Employee participation and assessments of support for organizational p...
- Resistance and return: power, command and change management
- Diagnosing organizational planning benefits: the efficacy of planning ...
- Paradoxes of Participation: Textual Analysis and Organizational Change
- Procedural Justice in Performance Evaluation: The Role of Instrumental...
- Participation in Organizations: A Preview of the Issues and Proposed F...
- A Large-scale Second-order Structural Equation Model of the Influence ...
- Creating Readiness for Organizational Change
- Making change permanent A model for institutionalizing change interven...
- Windows on Corporate Ethics
- Windows on Corporate Ethics
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
Get access
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
loading institutional access options
SMA members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
SMA members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
