The Industrial Relations Setting, Organizational Forces, and the Form and Content of Worker Participation

Forces in the industrial relations setting and within organizations which influence the form and content of worker participation are examined. Values, socio-political climate, economic conditions, and bargaining structures are identified as especially salient contextual forces, in addition to organizational dimensions of size, centralization, and technology. Drawing upon a comparative analysis of Western Nations, testable propositions are presented concerning factors which encourage or inhibit participation.