An Empirical Analysis of the Relationships among Participatory Decision Making and Employees’ Task Performance and Personal Growth

Abstract

Due to rapid changes in technology and the resulting increase in uncertainty, the organization is becoming more horizontal, and participatory decision making as an effective method of decision making has attracted more attention. This study empirically explored and verified the path through which participatory decision-making leads to employees’ task performance and personal growth. The author focused on the sequential mediating role of perceived job meaningfulness and job involvement. Hypotheses were tested using survey data from 453 supervisor–subordinate dyads within organizations, across multiple industrial sectors. The results confirmed the direct and indirect relationships between participatory decision making and employees’ task performance and personal growth. Additionally, perceived job meaningfulness and job involvement were found to sequentially mediate the relationship between participatory decision making and task performance, and that between participatory decision making and personal growth. This study empirically demonstrates the necessity and importance of participatory decision making and suggests a specific mechanism. Furthermore, it presents implications for using participatory decision making in organizations effectively.