The experience of powerlessness in organizations

Abstract

Powerlessness is defined as a lack of autonomy and participation. Unexpected or undesired powerlessness is argued to generate, sequentially, reactance, helplessness, and work alienation. These stages are further argued to be mediated or moderated by generalized expectations of control, social isolation, the perceived legitimacy of organizational controls, and expectations of advancement. Self-report data from 206 nonsupervisory production employees with up to 2 years organizational tenure provided partial support for the model. Implications for theory, management, and research are discussed.