Who is in control? The effect of employee participation on the quality of the work environment

This paper presents the results of the MEDEA project financed by the Danish Work Environment Foundation and finalised October 2009. The project empirically investigated the significance of employee participation in all its direct and representative forms for the quality of the work environment in a selection of Danish companies. The main hypothesis, based on fifty years of solid international research, assuming a positive effect of employee’s participation in decisions regarding their job and their work place was confirmed. However, the secondary hypothesis, based on recent research into participative work organisation and the fact that psychosocial problems at work in many countries have increased concomitantly with such organisation, assuming that in certain contexts and forms participation influences negatively on the work environment also found some support. Results showed that participative work arrangements often yield influence only at the operational level and if not supplemented with forms of collective participation seems insufficient to handle increasing demands.