Participation has been of great interest in organizational development as well as in the field of ergonomics and total quality management (TQM) for many years. However, many aspects of participation are still not well understood. The aim of this paper is to contribute towards a better understanding of the expert versus the participant in change and how these relate to each other. The conclusions drawn are that the expert and the participant build their legitimacy in change on different knowledge and political bases. The expert participates in change on his professional basis, representing an outside perspective, mutually related to management and not personally affected by the change. The participant bases his participation on an extensive knowledge of the workplace, delegated power, subordinate position towards management and he represents an inside perspective as he is personally affected by the change.