Participatory practices at work change attitudes and behavior toward societal authority and justice

Existing research largely views generalized attitudes toward authority and justice as stable personality traits, shaped by long-term experiences and socialization. Psychologists, particularly in the aftermath of World War II, investigated authoritarianism—a tendency towards deference to authority and intolerance of deviance—as a durable personality trait, influenced by heredity and accumulated social experiences. This research emphasized the stability of these attitudes over the lifespan, suggesting that changes are typically driven by significant societal events or prolonged exposures to different social contexts. This study challenges this perspective by investigating whether short-term, immersive experiences, specifically within workplace settings, can impact these generalized attitudes. The research is guided by Pateman's theory of participatory democracy, which argues that increased worker participation can empower individuals, leading to less blind trust in authority and increased civic engagement. It also draws on Lewin's concept of 'cultural islands,' where intense group experiences can shape local attitudes, potentially diverging from broader societal norms. The study aims to experimentally determine whether manipulating workplace participation can causally influence generalized attitudes toward authority and justice within a broader societal context, treating attitudes toward authority and justice as separate yet related constructs.

The literature review examines existing theories on the development and stability of authoritarian attitudes. It highlights psychoanalytic perspectives emphasizing early childhood experiences and attachment styles as formative influences on authoritarianism, portraying it as a heritable and enduring trait. Studies also point to structural correlates, such as perceived societal threats, impacting authoritarian attitudes. While attitudes toward specific authority figures can be changed through situational interventions, the review underscores the generally accepted stability of generalized authoritarian attitudes. This aligns with political science theories emphasizing long-term socialization and the role of age, education, and socioeconomic status in shaping these beliefs. The review then contrasts this view with alternative perspectives, notably Pateman's participatory democracy theory, suggesting that workplace participation can influence broader political attitudes, and Lewin's concept of 'cultural islands,' where group dynamics can generate distinct local norms. Existing research exploring this connection has mainly used observational methods, yielding mixed results and primarily focusing on Western contexts. This study aims to address this gap by using experimental methods and examining diverse settings, such as China and the United States.

The research employed two field experiments to test the hypothesis that short-term participatory experiences in work groups can alter generalized attitudes toward societal authority and justice. **Study 1:** This study was conducted in a multinational textile factory in China, involving 65 work groups (1752 workers). Groups were randomly assigned to either a 'participatory meetings' condition (treatment) or a 'control' condition (observer). In the treatment condition, a research assistant facilitated 20-minute weekly meetings over six weeks where workers discussed work-related problems and set goals without supervisor intervention. The control condition involved a research assistant observing the usual supervisor-led meetings. Four weeks after the intervention, surveys assessed participants' generalized attitudes toward authority, belief in a just world, perceived intergroup conflict, and participation in political, family, and social life. Linear regressions with fixed effects, controlling for demographics, analyzed the data. **Study 2:** This study replicated the design with 32 administrative staff groups (172 individuals) at a US university. Similar random assignment to treatment and control groups, participatory meeting interventions, and subsequent surveys were conducted. However, in this instance, supervisors led the participatory meetings, while control groups continued with their standard meetings. Data collection occurred two weeks post-intervention. Similar regression analyses were used. Both studies used pre-registered survey items and analyses available through the Open Science Framework. Both studies adhered to ethical regulations, including obtaining informed consent.

Both studies provided strong evidence supporting the hypothesis. **Study 1 (Chinese factory workers):** Workers in the participatory meetings condition showed significantly lower scores on generalized attitudes toward authority and belief in a just world compared to the control group. They also reported significantly more perceived conflict between managers and workers in society (but not between other status groups), and increased participation in political, family, and social life. Effect sizes were substantial, approximately one standard deviation on the measurement scales. These effects persisted one month after the intervention. Interestingly, these workers also reported increased positive attitudes toward their immediate factory management, potentially indicating differential effects of the intervention on local versus broader authority. **Study 2 (US university staff):** This study replicated the key findings. University staff members in the participatory meetings condition displayed significantly lower deference to authority and belief in a just world, echoing Study 1's results, though with slightly larger confidence intervals due to the smaller sample size. These changes also persisted after the interventions ended. Across both studies, the effect sizes for changes in attitudes toward authority and justice were remarkably similar. The consistency of findings across drastically different cultural and organizational contexts strengthens the robustness of the results.

The findings provide compelling causal evidence supporting the theory of participatory democracy. The results demonstrate that short-term, immersive experiences with egalitarian power dynamics in work groups can lead to significant and enduring shifts in generalized attitudes toward authority and justice, attitudes traditionally considered highly stable. These changes occurred without altering the larger societal context or the fundamental structures of authority and justice within the workplaces. The contrast between the increased positive attitude toward local authority (observed in Study 1) and the increased critique of broader societal authority suggests that the intervention differentially impacted perceptions of local versus general authority. This could be due to increased perceived fairness of local authorities who actively listen, contrasting with broader societal expectations, or a shift in expectations about interactions with authorities more broadly leading to greater skepticism. The observed increase in self-reported participation in political and family life in Study 1 indicates a potential broader 'empowerment' effect. The replication of findings in both Chinese and US contexts, despite differing societal structures, suggests that the core mechanism underlying the effect—regular opportunities for voicing opinions in group settings—is more crucial than the specific cultural or organizational setting. The results suggest that even modest changes in workplace experience can significantly impact deeply held social views.

This research provides strong experimental support for the theory of participatory democracy, demonstrating that brief participatory experiences in the workplace can induce lasting changes in attitudes toward authority and justice. The consistency of effects across diverse settings highlights the significance of regular opportunities for voice and participation in shaping individuals' perspectives. Future research could explore the duration of these effects, examine the role of individual differences in responsiveness to the intervention, and investigate the potential transferability of these findings to other social contexts, such as schools.

The study's limitations include reliance on self-reported data for measuring attitudinal and behavioral changes. While the robustness of findings across diverse contexts strengthens the study, future work could use observational measures or behavioral games to complement self-report measures and strengthen the conclusions. The sample sizes, especially in Study 2, might limit the statistical power to detect smaller effect sizes or interactions with other factors. The focus on support staff in both studies limits generalizability to other occupational groups. Further research is needed to establish whether the observed effects are contingent on the participants' lower-status position in organizational hierarchies.