The semantics of participation.

Participative decision-making (PDM) is one of the most vital organizational issues of our time. However, the definition of PDM is far from clear; many words and concepts are confused in the context of participation. The thoughtful manager or researcher must differentiate between various types and strategies of PDM and apply appropriate means to ends. This paper offers a model of the group decision-making process, states that PDM should be precisely defined as involvement, and suggests the importance of including influence in a new concept of PIDM.