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Employees‘ attitude towards organizational

participation – a new measurement under construction

5th OPEN-Workshop 30 September, 2011 Aarhus

Christine Unterrainer, Wolfgang G. Weber, Willi Geser, & Thomas Höge

Agenda

1. Theoretical framework 2. Presentation of the measurement: Employees‘ attitude towards participation (EATP)

• Items • Descriptives & Reliabilities

3. First results with hierarchically structured enterprises:

• Correlations • SEM-model

4. Discussion of the results

2

bmwf Department of social and cultural

sciences and humanities Research project ODEM

Do democratic principles in organizations foster employees’ democratic activity and social responsibility?

SOCIAL DISPOSITIONS

FOSTERING DEMOCRACY

◙ Work-related Prosocial orientations ◙ Community-related value orientations ◙ Organizational commitment

Perceived structure of OD

SOCIO-MORAL CLIMATE

Attitude towards PARTICIPATION

STR

UC

TUR

ALLY

AN

CH

OR

ED

OD

ODEM model (Rostock, 2010)

R² = .33

R² = .52

Prosocial & community-related

behavioral orientations

Perceived Participation

Socio-moral Climate

Organizational Commitment

.11*

.35***

.13 ns

stra

conf apr com res

ac

nc

ps

se

so

pt

op ta

he

deo

.10 ns

.49***

Readiness for participation

.38***

.43***

.40***

.37*** R² = .44

R² = .24

N = 305. χ2/df-ratio = 2.319 (p < 0.001). RMSEA = 0.066, CFI = 0.955.

* p < 0.05. ** p < 0.01. *** p < 0.001

Do democratic principles in organizations foster employees’ democratic activity and social responsibility?

SOCIAL DISPOSITIONS

FOSTERING DEMOCRACY

◙ Work-related Prosocial orientations ◙ Community-related value orientations ◙ Organizational commitment

Perceived structure of OD

SOCIO-MORAL CLIMATE

Attitude towards PARTICIPATION

STR

UC

TUR

ALLY

AN

CH

OR

ED

OD

N = 142 Only hierarchical enterprises in Austria, Italy (South Tyrol), and Germany Education: Gender: Supervisory function: 42 % no high-school degree 49.6 % female 32 % yes 30 % high-school degree 50.4 % male 68 % no 28 % university degree Member of a board: Capital shares: 26 % yes 16 % yes 74 % no 84 % no Mean age: 37 years Mean organizational tenure: 11.3 years

Sample – Pilot study

Measures I

Perceived Structure of Organizational Democracy: PODS-K (Weber & Unterrainer, 2011; acc. to IDE, 1981; Heller et al., 1988; Weber et al., 2009; Wegge et al., 2010)

Degree of workers‘ individually perceived participation in operational, tactical, and strategic decisions – short version 24 Items, 3 subdimensions

Socio-moral Climate: SoMoA 2.0-k Screening scale (Seyr, Pircher Verdorfer, & Weber, 2010; acc. To Weber et al., 2008; Hoff & al., 1991; Lempert, 1993)

(1) Involvement in social problems and conflicts of interests, rules, norms and values (2) Reliable appreciation, care and recognition (3) Open, free communication and participative cooperation (4) Trust-based assignment/allocation of responsibility for the well-being of others (5) Organizational respect for the individual 24 Items

7

bmwf Department of social and cultural

sciences and humanities Research project ODEM

Measures II

Organizational commitment (Felfe et al., 2004)

Affective commitment: 4 Items (α = 0.896) Normative commitment: 4 Items (α = 0.782)

Employees’ attitude towards participation (EATP) (Unterrainer, Weber, Geser, & Höge, 2011; acc. to Schmid, 2004)

Considering two facets: Attitude towards workplace participation: 13 Items (α = 0.937) Attitude towards participation in organizations: 14 Items (α = 0.951)

2. Workplace participation is wasted time.

6. Participation on the job should be a basic democratic right for everybody.

13. Existing participation rights should be more encouraged on the job.

Sample items – EATP workplace-related

1. Participation as a democratic principle should also be practiced in enterprises.

10. Employee participation fits for nothing in enterprises.

13. Participation in enterprises must be fostered even if it is linked with effort.

Sample items – EATP organization-related

Reliability & Intercorrelations:

Means (M), standard deviations (SD), number of items, and intercorrelations among self-rating variables (range: 1 – 5) Variable M SD Nr. of 1 2 3 4 Items 1. Perc. Structure of OD 2.38 0.84 24 (0.94)

2. Socio-moral climate 3.27 0.72 24 0.44** (0.96)

3. EATP 3.93 0.72 27 -0.19* 0.13 (0.97)

4. Commitment 3.34 0.91 8 0.49** 0.41** -0.12 (0.90)

Note: Cronbach alpha reliabilities appear in parentheses along the diagonal. N = 142; **p < 0.01.

Correlations between EATP and Perceived structure of OD, Socio-moral Climate, and Organizational Commitment in subsamples: **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05.

Attitude towards participation (EATP)

board member supervisory function capital share Variables no (n=105) yes (n=37) no (n=96) yes (n=46) no (n=119) yes (n=23)

Perc. str. OD -0.17 -0.22 0.09 -0.33* -0.14 -0.21 Socio-moral Climate 0.13 0.38 0.20 0.05 0.05 0.42*

Org. Commitment -0.21* 0.08 0.00 -0.22 -0.09 -0.08

Results:

N = 142. χ2/df-ratio = 2.225 (p = 0.000). RMSEA = 0.093, CFI = 0.952.

SEM-model: Hierarchically structured enterprises

R² = .38

Perceived structure of OD

Socio-moral Climate

Organizational Commitment

.33***

.39***

stra

conf apr com org

ac

nc

op ta

.43*** Attitude towards participation

-.08 ns

.25**

-.35*** R² = .11

R² = .18

res

*** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05

org

wkpl

N = 119. χ2/df-ratio = 1.976 (p < 0.001). RMSEA = 0.091, CFI = 0.957.

.35*** R² = .44

Perceived structure of

OD

Socio-moral

Climate

Organiz. Commitment

.19*

.27***

.40***

Readiness for participation

.32***

.43***

R² = .39

R² = .16

Perceived structure of

OD

Socio-moral

Climate

Organiz. Commitment

.06 ns

.48***

.54***

Readiness for participation

.37*** .49***

.28***

R² = .64

R² = .47

R² = .29

Medium democracy High democracy

14 Note: all differences between the models are green; * p < 0.05. ** p < 0.01. *** p < 0.001

N = 186. χ2/df-ratio = 2.301 (p < 0.001). RMSEA = 0.084, CFI = 0.965.

Hierarchically structured enterprises

• EATP sign. negativ correlation with Perc. structure of OD

• Correlations in subgroups:

- No board members: highly positive EATP → low Org. Commitment

- Supervisors: high Perc. structure of OD → low positive EATP

- Capital shareholder: strong Sociomoral Climate → highly positive EATP

SEM-Model:

• The original positive relations between Perc. structure of OD, Socio-moral Climate, and OC constantly remain.

• Negative relation between Perc. structure of OD and EATP

• Positive relation between Socio-moral Climate and EATP

Summary

Conclusions

Within the presented ODEM-model, EATP plays a minor role in hierarchically structured enterprises.

Negative relation in hierarchical enterprises between Perceived OD and EATP:

- Generally, the attitude towards participation is very high – social desirability?

- Do they fear sharing the influence with other employees?

- A support for our socialization hypothesis in democratically structured companies?

Future Research & Questions

- Bigger sample

- Democratic enterprises

- Longitudinal design

- Use employees‘ desire for participation instead of employees‘ attitude?

Limitations: - Pilot study: small sample size

- Only hierarchically structured enterprises – no democratic enterprises

Christine Unterrainer Wolfgang G. Weber

Willi Geser Thomas Höge

University of Innsbruck

Institute of Psychology – Psychology of Everyday Action 6020 Innsbruck - Innrain 52

Austria

Phone: +43 (0)512 507-5541 Mail: christine.unterrainer@uibk.ac.at

Thank you for your attention!

Items: Employees’ attitude towards participation (Unterrainer et al., 2011; acc. to Schmid, 2004)

EATP workplace-related: 13 Items

1. It is important that employees take part in the planning and development of their workplace.

2. Workplace participation is wasted time.

3. Participation on the job must be encouraged even if it is linked with effort.

4. Participation is a democratic principle, but it can’t be realized on the job.

5. Every employee should take part in decision making concerning his or her workplace.

6. Participation on the job should be a basic democratic right for everybody.

7. Workplace participation is no use for the employees.

8. Employees don’t have to take part in decision making that affects their own workplace.

9. Participation as a democratic principle should also be practiced on the job.

10. In each workplace participation should be realized.

11. Workplace participation just complicates everything.

12. Employee participation fits for nothing on the job.

13. Existing participation rights should be more encouraged on the job.

Items: Employees’ attitude towards participation (Unterrainer et al., 2011; acc. to Schmid, 2004)

Attitude towards workplace participation: 13 Items

1. Es ist wichtig, dass die Arbeitnehmer/innen an der Planung und Entwicklung ihres Arbeitsplatzes mitwirken können.

2. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz ist vergeudete Zeit.

3. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz muss – trotz des damit verbundenen Aufwands – gefördert werden.

4. Mitbestimmung ist zwar ein demokratisches Prinzip, lässt sich aber nicht am Arbeitsplatz verwirklichen.

5. Jeder sollte in Entscheidungen, die die eigene Arbeit betreffen, eingebunden werden.

6. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz sollte für jeden ein demokratisches Grundrecht sein.

7. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz bringt den Mitarbeiter/innen nichts.

8. An Entscheidungen, welche die eigene Arbeit betreffen, muss man nicht beteiligt werden.

9. Mitbestimmung als demokratisches Prinzip sollte auch am Arbeitsplatz gelebt werden.

10. Mitbestimmung sollte an jedem Arbeitsplatz umgesetzt werden.

11. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz macht nur alles unnötig kompliziert.

12. Die Mitbestimmung der Mitarbeiter/innen hat am Arbeitsplatz nichts verloren.

13. Bestehende Mitbestimmungsrechte sollten auf Arbeitsplatzebene stärker ausgebaut werden.

2. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz ist vergeudete Zeit.

6. Mitbestimmung am Arbeitsplatz sollte für jeden ein demokratisches Grundrecht sein.

13. Bestehende Mitbestimmungsrechte sollten auf Arbeitsplatzebene stärker ausgebaut werden.

Sample items – workplace-related

Items: Employees’ attitude towards participation (Unterrainer et al., 2011; acc. to Schmid, 2004)

EATP organization-related: 14 Items

1. Participation as a democratic principle should also be practiced in enterprises. 2. Participation is a democratic principle, but it can’t be realized in successful enterprises. 3. Existing participation rights in enterprises should be more encouraged. 4. Every employee should take part in decision making that concerns the company. 5. Organizational participation only generates additional costs for the company. 6. Organizational participation just strains the enterprise. 7. Participation in organizational decisions is no use for the employees. 8. Participation should be realized in every successful company. 9. It is important that employees take part in the planning and development of the enterprise. 10. Employee participation fits for nothing in enterprises. 11. Participation in organizations just complicates everything. 12. Participation in enterprises should be a basic democratic right for everybody. 13. Participation in enterprises must be fostered even if it is linked with effort. 14. Employees don’t have to take part in organizational decision making that affects the total company.

Items: Employees’ attitude towards participation (Unterrainer et al., 2011; acc. to Schmid, 2004)

Attitude towards participation in organizations: 14 Items

1. Mitbestimmung als demokratisches Prinzip sollte auch in Unternehmen gelebt werden. 2. Mitbestimmung ist zwar ein demokratisches Prinzip, lässt sich aber in erfolgreichen Unternehmen nicht

verwirklichen. 3. Bestehende Mitbestimmungsrechte in Unternehmen sollten stärker ausgebaut werden.

4. Jede/r Mitarbeiter/in sollte in Entscheidungen, die das Unternehmen betreffen, eingebunden werden.

5. Betriebliche Mitbestimmung verursacht nur zusätzliche Kosten für die Unternehmen.

6. Die betriebliche Mitbestimmung belastet nur die Unternehmen.

7. Mitbestimmung in Unternehmen bringt den Mitarbeiter/innen nichts.

8. Mitbestimmung sollte in jedem erfolgreichen Unternehmen umgesetzt werden.

9. Es ist wichtig, dass Arbeitnehmer/innen an der Planung und Entwicklung des Unternehmens mitwirken können.

10. Die Mitbestimmung der Mitarbeiter/innen hat in Unternehmen nichts verloren.

11. Mitbestimmung in Unternehmen macht nur alles unnötig kompliziert.

12. Mitbestimmung in Unternehmen sollte für jeden ein demokratisches Grundrecht sein.

13. Mitbestimmung in Unternehmen muss – trotz des damit verbundenen Aufwands – gefördert werden.

14. An Entscheidungen, die den gesamten Betrieb betreffen, müssen die Arbeitnehmer/innen nicht beteiligt werden.

1. Mitbestimmung als demokratisches Prinzip sollte auch in Unternehmen gelebt werden.

10. Die Mitbestimmung der Mitarbeiter/innen hat in Unternehmen nichts verloren.

13. Mitbestimmung in Unternehmen muss – trotz des damit verbundenen Aufwands – gefördert werden.

Sample items – organization-related