This study, published in Work & Stress, aimed to investigate the effect of a short-term participatory intervention in health care institutions in Norway on workers’ control, other job characteristics, job stress, subjective health, and job satisfaction. The participatory intervention had a positive, but limited effect on work-related stress, job characteristics, learning climate and management style, and seemed to have started a beneficial change process. Organizational interventions may be a potential training ground for acquiring participatory skills and resources, and if sustained after the intervention period, they can have long-term effects on problem solving, job stress and employee satisfaction.