While I was surfing around at Dreamhost I found out that they were one of 2008 most democratic workplaces according to WorldBlu.
How can a workplace be democratic?
Of course there will always be problems that will make situations more or less democratic, but yes, democratic workplaces exists, and they exist on the fact that they are more profitable and more enjoyable (when executed correctly).
According to WorldBlu’s model there is 10 core principles that enables democracy:
- PURPOSE AND VISION
A democratic organization is clear about why it exists (its purpose) and where it is headed and what it hopes to achieve (its vision). These act as its true North, offering guidance and discipline to the organization’s direction.
- TRANSPARENCY
Say goodbye to the “secret society” mentality. Democratic organizations are transparent and open with employees about the financial health, strategy, and agenda of the organization.
- DIALOGUE + LISTENING
Instead of the top-down monologue or dysfunctional silence that characterizes most workplaces, democratic organizations are committed to having conversations that bring out new levels of meaning and connection.
- FAIRNESS + DIGNITY
Democratic organizations are committed to fairness and dignity, not treating some people like “somebodies” and other people like “nobodies.”
- ACCOUNTABILITY
Democratic organizations point fingers, not in a blaming way but in a liberating way! Democratic organizations are crystal clear about who is accountable and responsible for what.
- INDIVIDUAL + COLLECTIVE
In democratic organizations, the individual is just as important as the whole, meaning employees are valued for their individual contribution as well as for what they do to help achieve the collective goals of the organization.
- CHOICE
Democratic organizations thrive on giving employees meaningful choices.
- INTEGRITY
Integrity is the name of the game, and democratic companies have a lot of it. They understand that freedom takes discipline and also doing what’s morally and ethically right.
- DECENTRALIZATION
Democratic organizations distribute leadership and power across their enterprise.
- REFLECTION + EVALUATION
Democratic organizations are committed to looking in the mirror and asking, “How can we be better?” — not just quarterly or annually, but daily.
Further, they even explain what you can expect as a result. According to WorldBlu’s research, the outcome for embracing organizational democracy could include:
- Increases in productivity, profitability, sales, and efficiency.
- An increased ability to attract top talent and decreases in voluntary turnover.
- Increases in employee engagement.
- Improvements in customer service ratings.
- Steady growth rates.
- Increases in market share.
- Increases in levels of creativity and innovation.
- Increases in organizational alignment and overall levels of trust.
- Increases in an organization’s overall adaptability and agility.
- A heightened level of civic engagement by employees in the organization’s community.
Wow! Why isn’t every organization striving towards becoming democratic?
This list is quite comprehensive and easy to digest.
Read more about it at their website: http://www.worldblu.com/
Thank you for making democracy easy, WorldBlu!
This is exactly what the ParEcon-model needs, I think.
Imagine the day when each employee is treated as a entrepreneur, and their ideas are captured and rewarded as if they were one.
