An Exploration of Worker Participation-Ownership As a Social Process: Toe Impact of Worker Participation on Occupational Injury Rates
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 4-1986 An Exploration of Worker Participation-Ownership as a Social Process: Toe Impact of Worker Participation on Occupational Injury Rates Daryl Kelley Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Labor Relations Commons Recommended Citation Kelley, Daryl, "An Exploration of Worker Participation-Ownership as a Social Process: Toe Impact of Worker Participation on Occupational Injury Rates" (1986). Dissertations. 2284. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2284 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN EXPLORATION OF WORKER PARTICIPATION-OWNERSHIP AS A SOCIAL PROCESS: TOE IMPACT OF WORKER PARTICIPATION ON OCCUPATIONAL INJURY RATES Daryl Kelley A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1986 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. \ AN EXPLCRATION QF WORKER PARTICIPATION-OWNERSHIP AS A SOCIAL PROCESS: THE IMPACT OF WORKER PARTICIPATION ON OCCUPATIONAL INJURY RATES Daryl Kelley, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 1986 Work is an everyday activity which is a normal part of life. A sociological analysis combined with a historical orientation allows for an examination which goes beyond surface appearances in order to examine the social relationships embedded in the organization of the lalx>r process. One adverse manifestation of the social relationships contained in the labor process is occupational injury. In recent years social scientists and business consultants have proclaimed worker participation as a new way of organizing work. Adherents of worker participation claim that the decision making process can be reorganized where management and labor can engage in joint efforts. This cooperative approach to organizing the labor activity is perceived as having the potential to ameliorate many of the negative outcomes caused by traditional management practice. The negative outcome of particular interest in this study is occupa tional injury. In this study the social relationship between workers and their labor activity is through a historical approach. The review of historical research explicates the social construction of the labor process which is an outcome of the struggle between capital and labor. An examination of this struggle and the economic structure which shaped it will provide a better understanding of the present Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. social context where worker participation is enacted. In order to examine the relationship between participation and occupational injuries, a questionnaire was sent to companies which have been identified as having either a worker participation program or a form of employee ownership. Employee owned firms were included since research has indicated that this form of ownership is strongly associated with worker participation. The questionnaire was designed to gather information regarding the extent and type of participation and the rate of occupational injuries within the companies sampled. Eivariate tables were constructed to assess the relationship between worker participation and occupational injuries. In general, the data indicated that the more workers were involved in the decision making process, the lower the injury rate would be. Limitations were placed on the interpretation due to the small size and purposive nature of the sample. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a manuscript sent to us for publication and microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to pho tograph and reproduce this manuscript, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. Pages in any manuscript may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. Manuscripts may not always be complete. 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T TA/f.T Dissertation U I V 1 1 Information Service University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 N. Z eeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8616832 Kelley, Daryl AN EXPLORATION OF WORKER PARTICIPATION-OWNERSHIP AS A SOCIAL PROCESS: THE IMPACT OF WORKER PARTICIPATION ON OCCUPATIONAL INJURY RATES Western Michigan University Ph.D. 1986 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AOWDWLEDGEMENTS A dissertation is usually a research project which is enacted by a student at the end of his or her formal career. In addition to the many everyday problems encountered in doing research, students are apt to lack the financial resources which help organize the research process. Also, the transition of role relationships from student to colleague can be a source of frustration as well as growth. I was very fortunate to receive an abundance of emotional and intellectual support and the basic financial support which minimized the problems faced during the dissertation process. I wish to thank The Graduate College of Western Michigan University for the grant which partially funded the research project. Also, the Kercher Center for Social Research supplied materials which defrayed some of the oosts. I am grateful to my doctoral committee for both the autonomy and guidance provided during the project. As chairperson, Ronald Kramer allowed the independence to search and formulate my own ideas as a sociologist. He also played an instrumental role as teacher and social activist in helping ms envision the career I desire as a sociologist. Lewis Walker has created a special rapport with students throughout the years. lie not cnly provides private encour agement and critical clarity to his students, but publicly recognizes the value of the contribution made by students. I also wish to thank Lev; for the extensive coimvents on the historical and theoretical ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. chapters. I wish to thank Rudolph Siebert for the office discussions which always challenged me and helped formulate ideas for future research. I also want to thank the reviewers of the questionnaire and the cover letters for the valuable feedback. A special thanks to Stanley Robin who gave freely of his survey expertise and extensively edited the drafts of the letters. Also I am grateful to Karen Rice who not only quickly typed all of the drafts, but suggested changes in the instrument which added visual clarity. The free physical labor given by so many in the addressing, collating, and labeling of the correspondence made the meeting of deadlines possible. I wish to thank Patricia Martin, Agnes McColley, Louise Reed, Karen Rice, and Carole Rogers who gave up their break time to transform a boring time-pressured task into a fun ocmnunal experience. I accepted this help from friends, but I also wish to recognize the daily aid provided by this group as staff members of the Department of Sociology. Two of the mailings were compiled by fellow graduate students. I wish to thank: Debra House, Kevin Minor, Art Pugh, Rosamond Robbert, and Nancy Wonders. Graduate students have been a source of support while at Western. During my entire graduate career Frances McCrea and Rosamond Robbert have offered friendship and continuously demonstrat ed concern for my well being. I particularly wish to thank Fran for the empathetic understanding over the years and Rosamond for her large heart which has helped alleviate the burdens of others. I wish to thank