A Hierarchical Model of Participatory Decision-Making, Job Autonomy, and Perceived Control

Participative decision-making and job autonomy have been linked to perceived control, however, there has been some ambiguity in how this relationship has been approached in the literature. Researchers have generally sought to maintain the conceptual distinction among the constructs but have treated measures of the constructs as if they were indicators of a single underlying control dimension or disposition. The present study tests the plausibility that a hypothetical general control factor influences responding on several measures of perceived job autonomy and participative decision-making at work. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis in samples of teachers and computer company employees supported a model in which measures of separate job autonomy dimensions, general job autonomy, perceptions of participative climate at work, and perceptions of control at work all were related to a second order control factor. The second order control factor was shown to be distinct from perceptions of one's supervisor and from measures of work-related affect. Implications of a second order control construct for future research are discussed.