The present study aimed to refine the participative management concept in schools by adopting a multidimensional approach. Specifically, the author examined simultaneously five dimensions of participative management: decision domain, degree of participation, structure, target of participation, and rationale. The data were obtained from a sample of 99 elementary school principals. The results of the present study highlight the readiness of principals to utilize participative approaches to decision making mainly
out of pragmatic motives to achieve valued organizational results. Principals tended to
involve teachers more in the technical domain than in the managerial domain mostly by
using consultative methods of participation, and they preferred to include teachers based on their motivation rather than their expertise. The findings suggest that participative management is a complex concept that consists of several dependent yet distinct dimensions; therefore, its conceptualization and operationalization should be examined by themselves, before an investigation of their antecedents and consequences. |