Sociomoral Atmosphere and Prosocial and Democratic Value Orientations in Enterprises with Different Levels of Structurally Anchored Participation**/Soziomoralische Atmosphäre Und Prosoziale, Demokratieförderliche Handlungsbereitschaften in Betrieben Mit Unterschiedlichen Demokratiegraden

Zusammenfassung

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This study examines effects of structurally anchored organizational democracy on perceived sociomoral atmosphere and on employees' prosocial, democratic behavioral orientations. Data result from the ODEM research project. Beside a description of the concept of sociomoral atmosphere, within this project, 30 small and medium sized enterprises from Austria, North Italy, South Germany, and Liechtenstein (542 participants) were surveyed with questionnaires, interviews, and document analyses. Based on organizational science criteria, several types of enterprises were derived and pooled into three groups of structurally anchored organizational democracy (no, medium, and high democracy). Multivariate group analyses show significant differences between those groups in parts of their prosocial and democratic behavioral orientations and in their sociomoral atmosphere.

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Auszug

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Sociomoral Atmosphere and Prosocial and Democratic Value Orientations in Enterprises with Different Levels of Structurally Anchored Participation**/Soziomoralische Atmosphäre Und Prosoziale, Demokratieförderliche Handlungsbereitschaften in Betrieben Mit Unterschiedlichen Demokratiegraden

1. Introduction

Sociomoral atmosphere and democratic principles in organisations foster the readiness of employees to act socially responsible and democratically (Weber et al. 2007). It is assumed that sociomoral atmosphere and structurally anchored democratic principles in companies (organisational democracy) have an impact on the (further) development of employees' social and moral orientations. This socialisation hypothesis was the core of the research project ODEM1 and the paper presented here is based on this framehypothesis. The authors pursue two intentions with this article:

1. The elaboration of the organisational concept of sociomoral atmosphere. We will describe the theoretical roots of this concept, its embeddedness in organisational climate theory, and a new quantitative measurement to survey employees' perceived sociomoral atmosphere.

2. Presentation of an empirical study that was realised within the ODEM-project. It was tested

* whether the perceived sociomoral atmosphere differs in high-, medium-, and non-democratic enterprises;

* whether work-related prosocial orientations and community-related value orientations of employees differ in high-, medium-, and non-democratic firms and

* whether employees' work-related prosocial orientations and community-related value orientations are different in companies with low, medium, and high level of sociomoral atmosphere.

2. Theoretical Framework

2.1 The sociomoral atmosphere in organisations

As a sub-area of organisational climate, the soriomoral atmosphere represents specific criteria of organisational structure and organisational practices, in particular communication, teamwork, collective problem-solving, decision-making as well as leadership, which form a field of socialisation for prosocial, democratic, and moral orientations.

The concept of "moral atmosphere" was proposed by the Kohlberg group (Kohlberg 1984; Power/Higgins/Kohlberg 1989). They focused on the interplay of norms and value orientations as components of such an atmosphere, especially appraisal of the community, care for one another, integration, open communication, trust, participation, collective responsibility, respect of human dignity, procedural fairness, order (see, e.g. Power et al. 1989, 108, 125). They identified organisational criteria and educational principles in an Israeli kibbutz, that later were integrated in the conceptualisation of sociomoral atmosphere (Colby et al. 1987). Strongly influenced by this, they participated in creating a socialising field in democratically structured schools and ...

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