This paper describes and analyses the relation between participative practices and the workers representations on a participative organization. Observations were carried out in three factories of an industrial corporation from Santa Catarina state. Forty-three workers from three professional categories were interviewed. These categories perform activities directly related to the production. From the collected data it was possible to verify that the workers have quite limited possibilities of participation; the lower the hierarchical level, the higher the limitations. It was also observed that the interviewees tend to incorporate in their representations the limitations of their real work experience.
participation; representations; workers
