Michael Moore, ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ and Workplace Democracy
Posted: November 11, 2009 Filed under: democracy at work, Democratic Companies, employee engagement, employee-owned companies, Management Innovation, open-book management, workplace democracy | Tags: Brainpark, Capitalism: A Love Story, Capitalism: A Love Story and workplace democracy, capitalist economic model, company ownership structure, DaVita, Democratic Companies, democratic company, engage and motivate employees, innovative management strategy, maintain a competitive advantage, Michael Moore, Michael Moore and workplace democracy, open-book management, shared decision making, South Mountain, W.L. Gore and Associates, worker-owned cooperatives, workplace democracy as an alternative model to capitalism Leave a commentCapitalism: A Love Story, the 2009 documentary movie directed by Michael Moore, criticizes the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general while covering the financial crisis of 2007–2009 and the recovery stimulus. In his movie, Moore highlights workplace democracy as an alternative model to capitalism.
Many would argue that workplace democracy should not be considered a replacement to the capitalist economic system. Instead, workplace democracy is a highly effective management strategy that helps enable companies to engage and motivate their employees and to maintain a competitive advantage in their industries.
Workplace democracy is not limited to a specific type of company ownership structure. Democratic companies come in all shapes and sizes and range from high tech start-up companies such as Brainpark, to small worker-owned cooperatives such as South Mountain, to large privately-held companies such as W.L. Gore and Associates, to large publicly-traded companies such as DaVita.
Workplace democracy is an innovative management strategy where company information and decision-making powers are shared and distributed among employees so that customer-facing workers (who are closest to customers and usually know them best) are aware of the company’s goals and performance and have the ability (and motivation) to make smart decisions quickly, which is essential in today’s fast-moving and hyper-competitive marketplace.
——————–
Show your support for Workplace Democracy on Facebook and Twitter!
3 Democratic Companies Featured on CNN.com
Posted: June 19, 2009 Filed under: Democratic Companies, Management Innovation, workplace democracy | Tags: Badger Mining, democratic company, employee engagement, employee ownership, flat organization, New Belgium Brewing, open-book management, profit sharing, South Mountain, workplace democracy Leave a commentFortune Magazine featured seven small companies as ‘great places to work.’ Not surprisingly, three of these top-ranked employers are run as democratic workplaces.
Companies that have adopted participative management practices typically have more highly engaged employees who are more hardworking, creative, and feel greater loyalty towards their employer.
The South Mountain Company of Martha’s Vineyard, is a design and construction company with annual revenues of $9 million that provides integrated development, architecture, building, and energy services. South Mountain has been practicing workplace democracy for over 20 years.
Currently 17 of its 33 employees are owners, and the rest are on the five-year process to become ’employee owners.’ Employee ownership has played a big part in helping South Mountain retain its workers, who have been with the company for an average of 12 years.
Each employee owner has an equal vote in major strategic decisions, one of which authorized a profit sharing program which distributes 33% of South Mountain’s profits amongst all employees.
Similarly, the New Belgium Brewing Company credits workplace democracy with helping them become the third largest craft brewery in the US, with $93 million in revenues. All of New Belgium’s 320 employees become owners after their first year of employment, and the company’s open-book management policy ensures that all workers know where the company is going and how it’s progressing.
Another democratic company that shares financial data and strategic information with its employees is Badger Mining Corporation, which is the fifth largest manufacturer of industrial silica sand, limestone and other aggregates.
The company has been operating under a flat organizational structure for close to 25 years. Bosses are called coaches, employees are referred to as associates, and the executive management is called the advisory team. All 170 employees share 20% of the company’s profits.
Treating its workers like responsible adults and sharing information, decision-making abilities, and profits among all team members has helped Badger minimize employee turnover, which is very expensive and disruptive to a company’s operations.
Workplace Democracy 