The semantics of participation

Abstract

Participative decision-making (PDM) is one of the most vital organizational issues of our time. However, the definition of PDM is far from clear; many words and concepts are confused in the context of participation. The thoughtful manager or researcher must differentiate between various types and strategies' of PDM and apply appropriate means to ends. This paperoffers a model of the group decisionmaking process, states that PDM should be precisely depnedas involvement, and suggests the importance of including influence in anew concept ofPIDM. © 1979 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights resreved.