ABSTRACT
In any significant debate concerning the form and content of workers' participation in decision-making, broader issues inevitably arise about the exercise of power in industry and society at large. At root, most definitions of power can be traced to Weber's conception to refer to 'the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his [or her] will despite resistance, regardless of the basis on which the probability rests'. A great many interpretations of power have focused on its more obvious manifestations in given social relationships and social structures. There can be disappointments and dangers in limiting one's view to an area that is too small. There are many examples of a person striving with all his might to solve some immediate, local problem, only to find his efforts defeated by events occurring in a larger context.
