While the appellation of Human Relationist has fallen into disuse today vestiges of this tradition persist in many approaches to "humanize" organizations. In this paper, Human Relations assumptions about the motivation of workers and their desire for participation are analyzed and assessed in relation to empirical studies. A typology of models of participation is also developed to compare and evaluate workable methods of participation in organizations with the more idealistic alternatives offered by advocates of humanistic management and industrial humanism. The data indicate that Human Relationists may be overstating the utility and benefits derived from increased worker participation in organizational decision making; and their belief in the necessity for workers to self-actualize in their jobs is predicated upon assumptions which seem to ignore the influence that social class has on the motivations of workers. (Author)