Skip to main content
Original Article

Structurally Anchored Organizational Democracy

Does It Reach the Employee?

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000038

Six hundred and six employees in 33 enterprises (Austria, Germany, Israel, and Italy) that represent different levels of structurally anchored organizational democracy were examined in a multi-method, cross-level study. Based on a typology of democratic enterprises, we investigated the extent to which democratic structures impact employees’ individually perceived participation, affective commitment, and humanitarian ethical orientation. We found support for the expected relationships. Whereas cross-level mediation tests suggest that individually perceived participation fully mediates the positive relationship between democratic structures and affective commitment, they provide no support to our prediction that the influence of democratic structures on humanitarian ethic will be mediated by individually perceived participation.

References

  • Bakan, I. , Suseno, Y. , Pinnington, A. , Money, A. (2004). The influence of financial participation and participation in decision-making on employee job attitudes. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15, 587–616. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Bandura, A. (1979). Social learning theory. Oxford, UK: Prentice Hall. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bartölke, K. , Eschweiler, W. , Flechsenberger, D. , Palgi, M. , Rosner, M. (1985). Participation and control. Spardorf, Germany: Wilfer. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bayo-Moriones, J. A. , Galilea-Salviatiera, P. J. , Menino-Diaz de Cerio, J. (2003). Participation, cooperatives and performance: An analysis of Spanish manufacturing firms. In T. Kato, J. Pliskin (Eds.), The determinants and the incidents of the effects of participatory organizations (pp. 31–56). Amsterdam; New York and Tokyo: Elsevier Science, JAI. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Bayo-Moriones, A. , Larraza-Kintana, M. (2009). Profit-sharing plans and affective commitment: Does the context matter? Human Resource Management, 48, 207–226. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Butcher, D. , Clarke, M. (2002). Organizational politics: The cornerstone for organizational democracy. Organizational Dynamics, 31, 35–46. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Carter, N. (2006). Political participation and the workplace: The spillover thesis revisited. British Journal of Politics & International Relations, 8, 410–426. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Cooper-Hakim, A. , Viswesvaran, C. (2005). The construct of work commitment: Testing an integrative framework. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 241–259. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M. , Morrow, P. C. , Richardson, R. , Dunn, S. R. (2002). Using profit sharing to enhance employee attitudes: A longitudinal examination of the effects on trust and commitment. Human Resource Management, 41, 423–439. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Culpepper, R. A. , Gamble, J. E. , Blubaugh, M. G. (2004). Employee stock ownership plans and three-component commitment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77, 155–170. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Doll, J. , Dick, M. (2000). Protestantische Ethik und humanitaer-egalitaere Ethik. Studien zur Entwicklung zweier deutschsprachiger Ethikskalen [The protestant ethic and the humantiarian-egalitarian ethic: Studies to construct two German-language ethics scales]. Zeitschrift fuer Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie, 21, 138–151. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Felfe, J. , Schmook, R. , Schyns, B. , & Six, B. (2008). Does the form of employment make a difference? – commitment of traditional, temporary, and self-employed workers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72, 81–94. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Freeman, S. F. (2007). Effects of ESOP adoption and employee ownership: Thirty years of research and experience. (Working Paper #07-01). University of Pennsylvania, Graduate Division, School of Arts and Sciences, Center for Organizational Dynamics. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Graham, J. W. , Cumsille, P. E. , Elek-Fisk, E. (2003). Methods for handling missing data. In J. A. Schinka, W. F. Velicer (Eds.), Research methods in psychology (pp. 87–114). New York, NY: Wiley. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Greenberg, E. S. (2008). Spillovers from cooperative and democratic workplaces: Have the benefits been oversold?. In B. A. Sullivan, M. Snyder, J. L. Sullivan (Eds.), Cooperation: The political psychology of effective human interaction (pp. 219–239). Malden, MA: Blackwell. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Heller, F. (1998). Influence at work: A 25 year program. Human Relations, 51, 1425–1456. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Heller, F. (2003). Participation and power: A critical assessment. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 52, 144–163. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Höge, T. (2006). Mitarbeiterkapitalbeteiligung. Zum Stand der Forschung zu den psychologischen Effekten [Employees’ capital shares. State of the research on psychological effects]. Arbeit, 15, 246–258. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Industrial Democracy in Europe (IDE) International Research Group . (1981). Industrial Democracy in Europe. London: Oxford University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Joensson, T. , Jeppesen, H. J. (2009). Non-participatory intervention in a traditional participatory organization. Wirtschaftspsychologie, 11, 88–98. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Katz, I. , Hass, R. G. (1988). Racial ambivalence and American value conflict: Correlational studies of dual cognitive structures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 893–905. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Klein, K. J. (1987). Employee stock ownership and employee attitudes: A test of three models. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 319–332. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Klicperová-Baker, M. (1998). Ready for democracy? Civic culture and civility with a focus on Czech society. Prague: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Kline, R. B. (1998). Principles and practice of structural equation modelling. New York, NY: Guilford. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Kohlberg, L. (1985). The just community approach to moral education in theory and practice. In M. Berkowitz, F. K. Oser (Eds.), Moral education: Theory and practice (pp. 27–87). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Kruse, D. L. (2002). Research evidence on prevalence and effects of employee ownership. Journal of Employee Ownership Law and Finance, 14, 65–90. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Liao, H. , Rupp, D. E. (2005). The impact of justice climate and justice orientation on work outcomes: A cross-level multifoci framework. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 242–256. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Lind, G. (2002). Ist Moral lehrbar? [Is morality teachable?]. Berlin, Germany: Nomos. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Mathieu, J. E. , Taylor, S. R. (2007). A framework for testing meso-mediational relationships in organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 141–172. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Mc Carthy, D. , Reeves, E. , Turner, T. (2010). Can employee share-ownership improve employee attitudes and behavior? Employee Relations, 32, 382–395. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Meyer, J. P. , Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource management Review, 1, 61–89. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Meyer, J. P. , Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Palgi, M. (2004). Social dilemmas and their solutions: The case of the kibbutz. In W. G. Weber, P.-P. Pasqualoni, C. Burtscher (Eds.), Wirtschaft, Demokratie und soziale Verantwortung (pp. 317–332). Goettingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Pateman, C. (1970). Participation and democratic theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Pearce, C. L. , Hoch, J. E. , Jeppesen, H. J. , Wegge, J. (2010). New forms of management. Shared and distributed leadership in organizations. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9, 151–153. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Pendleton, A. , Wilson, N. , Wright, M. (1998). The perception and effects of share ownership: Empirical evidence from employee buy-outs. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 36, 99–132. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Power, F. C. , Higgins, A. , Kohlberg, L. (1989). Lawrence Kohlberg’s approach to moral education. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Riketta, M. , Van Dick, R. , Rousseau, D. M. (2006). Employee attachment in the short and long run. Zeitschrift für Personalpsychologie, 5, 85–93. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Rosner, M. (1998). Future trends of the kibbutz: An assessment of recent changes. Journal of Rural Cooperation, 26, 129–140. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Rothschild, J. (2000). Creating a just and democratic workplace: More engagement, less hierarchy. Contemporary Sociology – A Journal of Reviews, 29, 195–213. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Rubenowitz, S. , Norrgren, F. , Tannenbaum, A. S. (1983). Some social psychological effects of direct and indirect participation in ten Swedish companies. Organization Studies, 4, 243–259. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Shperling, Z. , Rousseau, D. M. (2001). When employers share ownership with workers. In C. L. Cooper, D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Trends in organizational behavior. Employee versus owner issues in organizations, Vol. 8, (pp. 19–44). Chichester, UK: Wiley. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Spreitzer, G. (2007). Giving peace a chance: Organizational leadership, empowerment, and peace. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 1077–1095. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Strauss, G. (2006). Worker participation – some under-considered issues. Industrial Relations, 45, 778–803. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Tannenbaum, A. S. , Kavcic, B. , Rosner, M. , Vianello, M. , Wieser, G. (1974). Hierarchy in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Van Dick, R. , Riketta, M. (2006). Bindung von Mitarbeitern an Organisationen [Commitment of employees to organizations]. Zeitschrift für Personalpsychologie, 5, 83–84. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Van Dick, R. , Wagner, U. , Stellmacher, J. , Christ, O. (2005). Mehrebenenanalysen in der Organisationspsychologie: Ein Plädoyer und ein Beispiel [Multilevel analyses in organizational psychology: A plea and an example]. Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie, 49, 27–34. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Weber, W. G. , Unterrainer, C. , Höge, T. (2008). Socio-moral atmosphere and prosocial and democratic value orientations in enterprises with different levels of structurally anchored participation. German Journal of Research in Human Resource Management/Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, 22, 171–194. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Weber, W. G. , Unterrainer, C. , Schmid, B. E. (2009). The influence of organizational democracy on employees’ socio-moral climate and prosocial behavioral orientations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 1127–1149. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Wegge, J. (2004). Gruppenarbeit und Führung [Group work and leadership]. Goettingen, Germany: Hogrefe. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wegge, J. , Jeppesen, H.-J. , Weber, W. G. , Pearce, C. L. , Silva, S. , Pundt, A. , et al. (2010). Promoting work motivation in organizations: Should employee involvement in organizational leadership become a new tool in the organizational psychologist’s kit? Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9, 154–171. First citation in articleLinkGoogle Scholar

  • Wilpert, B. (1989). Participation behavior and personal growth. In E. Krau (Ed.), Self realization, success, and adjustment (pp. 77–90). New York, NY: Praeger. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar