Egalitarian Service Business Models Best answer on the web

Jan 08, 2009 @ 06:10 am by anonym
  • I am looking ofr examples / case studies of current egalitatrian
    business models. I am open to any business that follows such a model-
    and am open to broad interpretations of what this is - but i am
    particularly interested in examples of consulting businesses that have
    been successful at moving beyong the traditional Partner takes all
    hiererarchical modell. ISome examples I aware of are Ben & Jerry's
    Ice Cream - for a while they had a cap on the disparity between the
    lowest and highest paid emmployees (I think it was 16 X). I also
    heard of a company that compensated their employees in units based on
    demonstrated and needed competencies- creating scenarios where
    Executives- newly hired or promoted- made less than the people who
    provided them administrative support. I am interested in not only
    current examples - but also how long an example has operated in their
    model. If you feel doing due dilligence on this is worth more than what i am offering let me know- I also tip well.


  • Thanks-
    I actually did a consulting gig for BMW in Germany once- amazing culture internaly- but VERY hierarchical, political and somewhat bureaucratic. I don't know how 3m works today- my expample was from a case study I read that was later confirmed by a colleague I know who worked for them for a few years. Having lived through a software startup - the world of VC's is painfully familiar to me.
    You said:
    :Egalitarianism is not that productive
    - stable and competent management with an overseer might be optimal

    Hmmm....I believe that if you really do have competent managment- then what needs to be overseen?


  • In my opinion, borne of observation, even 'competent management' has its blind spots - and needs an arbiter.
    Interesting that you should have been inside BMW, I once spent six months in Schweppes Germany and have 'worked for' a couple of German Banks, and found them rather interesting.


  • Wow- Thank you- i can't wait to dive in and dig through everything that you found. I may have a question or 2 later as I take time to read through everything- but on first glance I am very happy that you took this on. Thank you!


  • Oddly my Father once worked for 3M
    - he resisted the temptaion to become American

    If I remember correctly their major triumph was the Post-It Note
    - that requires digging ( I think there is some dirt there )

    If you are really interested in company organization then take a look at the German 'Mittelstand' - small companies like BMW
    Also look at Venture Capitalists that keep their victims
    - simple objectives decomplify things for 'top management'

    Today I was looking at stuff about Warren Buffet and it looked similar to what Arnold Weinstock was doing with GEC (UK) many years ago.
    Egalitarianism is not that productive
    - stable and competent management with an overseer might be optimal


  • No problem- thanks for letting me know.
    DB


  • Dear czh-ga-
    First- thanks for at least taking a stab at my question. Nothin ventured nothing gained. I did a quick perusal of the sites you picked. let me say- that i immediately saw why no one was jumping on my question. Since my background is in managment consulting- i come across hundreds of case studies and stories about busiesses. Every once in a while I come across a story that would jump out and appeal to my internal egalitarian' sensibilities. Ben & Jerry's is a case in point (which- by the way- if you accept this and come across examples i have already mentioned- feel free to include them-pulling something from my scary memory does not imply accuracy or documentation - both of which would be nice to have) where their copmensation model seemd novel and fair. Now - due to my lack of organisation and joy at encountering this site- I'm hoping to start collecting these examples again- this time in a sustainable way. So here are my thought on what you have found so far:
    Patagonia- Great company / culture and mission- and I appreciate the HBR pointer. In their own unique way they fit the bill- especially since they have other companies who want to emulate their approach.
    Black Diamond- Yes-this another great example of what I'm looking for

    the Law firm took me a a little bit to figure out why you included them- and then I saw the 1:1 partner associate ratio- that is truly amazing! For any profgessional services firm- I will be looking into them more-.

    the last Law firm- yes- and- I would never want to work there personally- but it does seem to fit what I was asking for.

    To sum it up- i would love it if you would continue to pursue this for/with me.

    In your research results- i don't need a lot of explaining from you- just the highlight of why you picked a result if it's not obvious right away.
    Another source - that I haven't even searched yet is Fast Company (trendy hip business mag). I'm a suscriber- (which I think gives you special access) if you don't use it - knowing some of how you found what you come up with for me would allow me to search there later.
    I consider this an open exploration on a very broad topic. I'm also happy to bump the intial amount up to $100 - or tip you the difference (my preference since you keep all of it) if you accept to answer it. -also I'm in no rush for the answer.
    let me know.


  • Since no GA researchers have bitten - yet- help me with what is missing in my question. I'm assuming that compensation is not it- since that is negotiable. I'm not looking for the "right" answer- just some ideas to get creatively inspired as I move forward in developing my own business ventures. I have my own consulting firm- which I may expand- but I am also pursuing a couple of other ventures.


  • Hello again dancingbear-ga,

    I took your statement, ?I consider this an open exploration on a very broad topic.? as an invitation to take a variety of approaches to exploring what could be examples of egalitarian business models. I did not limit the research to services businesses only as the results showed interesting practices in a variety of industries.
    You can review the search terms I used to see some of the vocabulary I found useful to discover different avenues for reviewing what is available in the field. Egalitarian business models can be defined in terms of benefits and compensation, management approach, employee communications and a variety of other angles.
    It is quite clear that there are diverse opinions about the importance and relevance of equity in the workplace. I?ve collected information about companies that consistently appear in the business and trade press as being outstanding in some aspect of establishing an egalitarian workplace. I also found some case studies and research papers on the subject in addition to a variety of short articles. Finally, I discovered that there are quite a lot of organizations that are focused on some aspect of this issue so I?ve also included them.
    I think the reason for including the link resources I?ve found are self-explanatory in most cases. I included an explanation when I wanted to call your attention to a specific point of interest. I hope that the variety of resources I?ve found will help you explore this topic in depth.
    Best wishes for your project.

    ~ czh ~


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    BEN & JERRY?S
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    http://www.inc.com/magazine/20010401/22319.html
    Can Business Still Save The World?

    Meet the new breed of socially responsible CEOs. They share the goals of activist pioneers like Body Shop cofounder Anita Roddick and Ben & Jerry's Ben Cohen -- but are taking radically different approaches to activism. From: Inc. Magazine, Apr 2001 By: Thea Singer

    The pioneers of socially responsible companies -- stars like Anita Roddick and Ben Cohen -- had big hearts and even bigger mouths. They hated capitalism but loved what it could help them do. Now they have followers. Sort of. Meet the new generation of activist entrepreneurs
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    http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/04/15.html
    April 15, 2003
    The real Ben and Jerry's story

    By the year 2000, Unilever (a $45 billion multinational) was the winner, buying the company for $326 million. All kinds of promises were made, but Unilever has already taken a firm hand, putting a new CEO, a Unilever veteran, in place, and ambitiously pushing the Ben and Jerry's brand internationally.
    The idea is that organic, eco-active image of the brand will translate into a European market where organics are growing rapidly. To that end, Unilever has maintained the funky, privately-held image, barely mentioning the parent company on the company's home page. It's also continued contributions to socially conscious causes. But internally, decisions are being made as in any other division of a big company by people who think like Unilever. For example, layoffs are in the air as Unilever tries to reduce overall staffing. And payments to Vermont dairy farmers are less generous than they used to be. Gone too is the idea of making executive compensation have some ratio to assembly-line worker pay,
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    http://www.rowanblewitt.com/newsresources/articles.stm
    http://www.rowanblewitt.com/PDFS/ByHank/2003.09.10-CFI-Executive%20Compensation%20for%20Senior%20Managers.pdf
    Executive Compensation for Senior Managers
    (Corporate Finance Review, September/October 2003 - Volume 8, Number 2)
    In ancient Greece, the philosopher Aristotle is said to have urged that no citizen of the first western democracy be paid more then seven times the wages of the lowest paid citizen. Twenty three centuries later, the founders of Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream manufacturing firm "with a social conscience," took this suggestion seriously and established the 7-to-1 ratio within their young firm. Senior executives' pay levels were not to exceed seven times that of their lowest wage level employees. Social responsibility advocates and some journalists cheered: few companies actually followed the example. (In 2000, the founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, sold their company to Unilever for $326 million and Mr. Cohen received $39 million for his interests.)
    ***** This is a 5-page article.



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    EGALITARIAN COMPANIES
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    http://www.world-dynamics.com/LeadershipRoundtable.htm
    The Blu 2003 Leadership Roundtable

    ***** This site provides an excellent list of innovative companies, many with egalitarian approaches to management and compensation. Below I?ve collected the home pages and associated articles about many of these companies.
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    http://www.thunderbird.edu/pdf/about_us/case_series/a15980024.pdf
    Ricardo Semler and Semco S.A.
    Thunderbird Case #: A15-98-0024
    Fields: Organizational change, general management
    Author(s): Kelly Killian, Francisco Perez, & Caren Siehl

    Abstract
    This case introduces Ricardo Semler, CEO of Brazil's Semco S.A., one of the world's most respected champions of organizational change. The case portrays the internal turmoil Semoco faces as ownership is passed from father to son, and the company reaches the decline stage of its business cycle. The radically changing Brazilian economy serves as the backdrop and provides a compounded sense of environmental chaos as the company evolves from a culture based on paternalistic, command-oriented management to a highly democratic, participative management structure.
    ***** You can download the complete 12-page case study.

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    http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1569009,00.asp
    April 1, 2004
    Ricardo Semler: Set Them Free
    By Brad Wieners, ExtremeTech
    For nearly 25 years, Ricardo Semler, CEO of Brazil-based Semco, has let his employees set their own hours, wages, even choose their own IT. The result: increased productivity, long-term loyalty and phenomenal growth. Can his radical approach work for you?
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    http://www.mondaymemo.net/030512feature.htm
    Lessons from Semco on Structure, Growth and Change

    ***** The Resources at the end of the article might be very helpful.

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    http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,944138,00.html
    Who's in charge here? No one

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    http://www.gore.com/en_xx/index.html
    W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

    Today, our enterprise is comprised of approximately 6,000 associates in 45 locations around the world. Annual revenues top $1.5 billion. Our fluoropolymer products provide innovative solutions throughout industry, in next-generation electronics, for medical products, and with high-performance fabrics. We've repeatedly been named among the '100 Best Companies to Work for in America,' and our culture is a model for contemporary organizations seeking growth by unleashing creativity and fostering team-work.
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    http://www.gore.com/en_xx/careers/benefits/compensation.html
    Compensation
    Unlike companies which base an employee's pay on the evaluations of one or two people - or supervisors' opinions alone - Gore involves many associates in the process. Our goal: internal fairness and external competitiveness.
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    http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/5012/cases/WlGore.html
    CASE 6-13 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

    ***** This is an 18-page case study that will give you excellent insights into WL Gore?s management style.
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    http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2004/06/08/24027/Simply+the+best.htm
    Simply the best

    Picture this: an employer without chains of command or instruction, where there are no managers, directors or secretaries. A company that has 'associates' rather than 'employees', and 'sponsors' instead of 'bosses', who guide the workforce through a general work area rather than a job description. Furthermore, envisage a firm where employees have no opportunity to be promoted or demoted but, as an alternative, are given an equal share of the organisation's profits, which changes in line with their salary.
    Welcome to WL Gore & Associates, winner of the Sunday Times' 100 Best Companies to Work For 2004.
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    http://www.geae.com/index.html
    http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/facilities/manufacturing.html#durham
    GE Aircraft Engines

    http://www.fastcompany.com/online/28/ge.html
    Engines of Democracy

    The General Electric plant in Durham, North Carolina builds some of the world's most powerful jet engines. But the plant's real power lies in the lessons that it teaches about the future of work and about workplace democracy. From: Issue 28 October 1999, Page 174 By: Charles Fishman

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    http://www.motek.com/
    http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/managing/articles/0,15114,389874,00.html Is This the Best Company to Work for Anywhere?
    Motek's employees get housing subsidies, earn travel bonuses, and are forbidden to work after five.
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    http://www.atlascontainer.com/md_home.html
    THE ORGANIZATION

    In our marketplace, there are few if any corrugated box companies who provide continuous training to every employee in accounting and finance. Few in any manufacturing businesses, public or private, shut down their operations once a month to review the company's income and cash flow statements with everyone in the organization. Atlas Container is an open book company. The process by which the Atlas organization is managed is called Open Book Management (OBM). With OBM as the foundation, the people at Atlas are learning to think, act and make decisions like owners. In February 2000, the company sold stock to Atlas Employees. Today there are over 100 people working at Atlas who are no longer employees, they have become owners.
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    http://www.inc.com/magazine/20030301/25206.html
    The Power of Listening
    How does an old-line manufacturer in a stagnant industry manage to grow 25% a year for 10 years? By taking its employees seriously. From: Inc. Magazine, March 2003

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    http://www.southwest.com/
    Southwest Airlines

    http://www.crmguru.com/features/2002c/1010jc.php
    Southwest Airlines: Service for Smiles and Profits
    10.Oct.2002

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    http://www.containerstore.com/
    The Container Store

    http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXS/is_3_80/ai_71836861
    Thinking Outside the Box at The Container Store - human resource management awards
    Workforce, March, 2001

    The company has become so respected for its commitment to employees and their creative input that it has catapulted itself into a position of leadership in the HR field. The reason is simple. "A funny thing happens when you take the time to educate your employees, pay them well and treat them as equals," company president and CEO Kip Tindell declares. "You end up with extremely motivated and enthusiastic people."
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    http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/23/49/61/index.php
    Hiking with the Honchos at The Container Store

    Swanky dinners, trips and everyday praise are part of The Container Store's culture.
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    http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/business/10762164.htm?1c
    The name of the compensation game at many companies is changing from tenure to value, employee-management relations expert Leigh Branham writes in "The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It's Too Late."
    "At The Container Store, for example, consistently ranked among Fortune's '100 Best Places to Work in America,' it is not unusual for a sales associate to make more than a store manager," Branham says in his follow-up to his best-selling "Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business."

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    http://www.celestialseasonings.com/index_nofl.php
    Celestial Seasonings -- The Hain Celestial Group

    http://www.celestialseasonings.com/whoweare/corporatehistory/belief.php
    Our Employees

    We believe that our employees develop a commitment to excellence when they are directly involved in the management of their areas of responsibility. This team effort maximizes quality results, minimizes costs, and allows our employees the opportunity to have authorship and personal satisfaction in their accomplishments, as well as sharing in the financial rewards of their individual and team efforts. We believe in hiring above average people who have a "hands on" approach to work and quest for excellent results. In exchange, we are committed to the development of our good people by identifying, cultivating, training, rewarding, retaining and promoting those individuals who are committed to moving our organization forward.
    ------------------------

    http://www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,1018090,00.html
    Time Bonus Section February 2005: Inside Business
    Can Granola Grow Up?
    IRWIN SIMON HAS BUILT HAIN CELESTIAL INTO AN ORGANIC-FOODS GIANT

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    http://www.greatharvest.com/default.htm
    Great Harvest Bread Company -- Great Harvest Franchising, Inc.

    Our mission statement:
    -- Be loose and have fun,
    -- Bake phenomenal bread,
    -- Run fast to help customers,
    -- Create strong, exciting bakeries,
    -- And give generously to others.

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    http://www.greatharvest.com/whatsaid.htm
    Articles

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    http://www.winningworkplaces.org/library/success/success.php?sid=9
    Great Harvest Bread Co.
    Healthy community relationships benefit local franchisees and national brand

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    http://www.pella.com/about/default.asp
    Pella Corporation

    http://www.pella.com/about/profile.asp
    For the sixth consecutive year, Pella has been honored by FORTUNE magazine as one of the nation?s "100 Best Companies To Work For." Pella earned this recognition for providing exceptional benefits, development opportunities, and a quality work environment for its employees.
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    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/philosophy.html
    Whole Foods Market

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    http://news.surfwax.com/biz/files/Whole_Foods_Market.html
    News Articles On Whole Foods Market

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    http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/01/10/daily9.html
    January 10, 2005
    Whole Foods, National Instruments move up on list of best employers
    Two Austin-based companies are among the country's 100 best employers, according to Fortune magazine.
    Fortune's eighth annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, released Monday, places Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) at No. 30 ? Of Whole Foods, the magazine writes: "It's all about equality at this natural-foods grocery chain: A wage disclosure report lists everyone's gross pay (execs included), and a salary cap limits compensation to 14 times the average total of all the company's full-timers." Whole Foods has appeared on every list since 1988.

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    http://www.hermanmiller.com/
    Herman Miller, Inc.

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    http://www.tauck.com/index.html
    Tauck World Discovery

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    http://www.dancingdeer.com/LoadFrameset.asp?page=aboutus.asp
    Dancing Deer Baking Company

    The Deers
    All Dancing Deer employees are stakeholders in its profitability and share in the rewards of a well run, growing company. We believe that if people love what they're doing, it shows in the food. We developed this philosophy from the earliest days when we observed that baking "angry" would ruin a cake.
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    http://www.egonzehnderknowledge.com/knowledge/content/articles/index.php?article=1582 Aligning Marketing Strategies with Culture
    Egon Zehnder International?s Culture of Collaboration

    4. Enacting open-book compensation.
    Every EZI partner knows every other EZI partner?s compensation. For that matter, anyone who cares to ask will be told about EZI?s open approach to compensation.


    ======================================================
    EGALITARIAN COMPANIES -- CASE STUDIES, RESEARCH PAPERS
    ======================================================

    http://www.nd.edu/~mbloom/amj_3.pdf
    Pay equity and managerial turnover [PDF File] (An article on this research appeared in the 4/6/00 Wall Street Journal. The research article will be published in the Academy of Management Journal)
    ***** This is a 29-page research report.

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    http://www.nd.edu/~mbloom/baseball.pdf
    Pay equity in baseball [PDF File] (Articles on this research appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, New York Times, LA Times, Dallas Morning-News, Kansas City Star, Washington Post, & Toronto Globe. The research article was published in the Academy of Management Journal)
    ***** This is a 10-page research report.

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    http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/
    University of Michigan, ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
    Positive Organizational Scholarship?

    http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/WhatisPOS/
    What is Positive Organizational Scholarship?

    At its core, Positive Organizational Scholarship investigates ?positive deviance,? or the ways in which organizations and their members flourish and prosper in extraordinary ways. Indeed, the discipline?s name embodies the core values of the movement. ?Positive? addresses the discipline?s affirmative bias. ?Organizational? focuses on the processes and conditions that occur in organizational contexts. ?Scholarship? reflects the rigor, theory, scientific procedures and precise definition in which the approach is grounded.
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    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_18/b3781703.htm
    MAY 6, 2002
    SPECIAL REPORT -- THE CRISIS IN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
    Executive Pay
    As the market cratered, executives went right on raking in the dough--as nearly 200 companies swapped or repriced their stock options

    =================================================
    EGALITARIAN COMPANIES TRENDS, ARTICLES, RESOURCES
    =================================================

    http://www.kee-inc.com/article.htm
    Organizational Transformation and the Changing Role of the Human Resource Function

    Seven companies--Oticon, Eastman Johnsonville Foods, The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, W.L. Gore, Semco, and Williams Technologies--have journeyed down the path of organizational transformation, and in each case there has been a significant shift in the role of human resources. The experiences of these companies illustrate the fact that transformation takes as many shapes as there are companies. But if we compare their experiences, a number of themes emerge that will be helpful to those whose organizations are just beginning to change.
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    http://busmovie.typepad.com/ideoblog/2004/04/selling_envy.html
    Selling envy

    Yesterday's WSJ $ reports on companies that have Ben & Jerry's - type ceilings on executive pay based on a ratio to what the lowest-paid employees are getting, featuring Whole Foods. WF's founder and highest paid executive, John Mackay, explains, "when [executive] pay is excessive, you're demoralizing the employees," he says. "You're causing envy and resentment."

    The story reports that this idea is being pushed through proxy proposals by social justice organizations such as Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, Responsible Wealth and Catholic Knights. The story also sees this as consistent with company interests in promoting a communitarian and employee-empowerment approach to employment relations.
    I won't dwell on operational details, like the fact that that Mr. Mackay is consoled by his $45 million stake in the company and substantial stock options that don't figure in the cap. The story reports that some employees, at least, see through all this and are, well, resentful.
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    http://www.hrzone.com/articles/justice_leadership_OCB.html
    Going Beyond
    Employees respond to their supervisor's fairness quotient

    It has long been thought that employee satisfaction is the key to employee work motivation and participation. It is inescapable logic: If an employee is happy, satisfied and likes to perform job duties, he or she is more likely to volunteer to perform beyond what is merely required. Yet more recent research points to organizational justice (the way employees feel about the fairness of the organization they work for) as the true key to employee motivation.
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    http://c2.com
    Cunningham & Cunningham, Inc.
    http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?EgalitarianCompensation
    Egalitarian Compensation

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    http://www.oligopolywatch.com/
    Steve Hannaford ? Blog

    Are oligopolies sinister? Very possibly. But I think it's more useful to see how and why they work than simply rail against globalism and greed. While there are hatefully crooked businessmen (take any set of former Enron or Tyco executives for a start), most oligopolies are based on struggles for survival, not a result of innate evil. Like those proverbial sharks moving forward, businesses either grow or fail, and since most mature markets have limited growth potential, companies often grow by buying other companies. If nothing else, it's fascinating to see how they do it.
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    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0405090003may09,1,2099143.story?coll=chi-business-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true SPECIAL REPORT: CEO COMPENSATION PAY GAP WIDENS
    Rank and file left out of recovery
    No real wage rise; some show a loss
    Published May 9, 2004

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    http://students.law.umich.edu/mjlr/volume36.htm#stabile
    Volume 36, Issue 1
    Fall 2002

    One for A, Two for B, and Four Hundred for C: The Widening Gap in Pay Between Executives and Rank and File Employees
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    http://www.winoc.org/newsletter187777.html
    Is Open Book Management Dangerous?

    Open-book management firms enjoy the tremendous benefits of having everyone watching the same scorecard. For example, Physician Sales and Service, a national distributor of medical supplies, racked up an annual 50% growth rate for 15 years; Southwest Airlines has been tremendously successful operating in a niche where other airlines failed; SRC, which started as a money losing division of International Harvester, increased its stock value by 20,000 percent over 10 years. Inc Magazine reported that open-book management firms outpace their industry in sales and employment growth.
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    http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0598cov.asp
    HR Learns How to Open the Books

    Creating companies of business people
    In open-book companies every employee is trained, empowered and incentivized to understand and pursue the company?s business goals. The movement started about 15 years ago, led by a handful of pioneers such as Springfield ReManufacturing Corp. (SRC), Physician Sales & Service (PSS, now PSS/World Medical) and AES Corp., a worldwide operator of power-generating plants. Today, hundreds of companies in virtually every industry practice open-book management in one form or another. The majority are small to mid-size. But several larger organizations, such as Donnelley, have been dipping their toes in the open-book waters.
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    http://206.83.107.11/career/docs/Phasing%20Out%20the%20Annual%20Raise.htm
    Phasing Out the Annual Raise: More Firms Opt for Bonuses
    By Jeff D. Opdyke
    From The Wall Street Journal Online

    Millions of people are looking toward 2005 with hopes of a getting a raise, but many employers are sending this message: You will have to earn it as a bonus. Increasingly, companies are moving away from the traditional annual pay raise in favor of beefing up the amount of money earmarked for employee bonuses. The bonuses are largely based on performance, meaning only the most productive employees -- or those lucky enough to be in a profitable company or division -- will reap the bounty.

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    EGALITARIAN COMPANIES ? ORGANIZATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, CONSULTANTS
    ================================================================

    http://www.world-dynamics.com/
    Blu (formerly World Dynamics) is a business design studio pioneering organizational democracy and designing the evolution of business.
    We are dedicated to creating freedom-centered organizational environments and designing a more generative, adaptable and sustainable world through the principles of organizational democracy.
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    http://www.responsiblewealth.org/
    Responsible Wealth is a national network of businesspeople, investors and affluent Americans who are concerned about deepening economic inequality and are working for widespread prosperity. Our three primary areas of work are tax fairness, corporate responsibility and living wages.
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    http://www.inequality.org/index.html
    Inequality.org is a nonprofit organization based in New York City. Our mission is, first of all, to illuminate the causes and multidimensional consequences of the growing inequality of wealth, income, power and opportunity in America; and second, to move this critical national problem onto the front burner of American politics and public discourse.
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    http://www.workplacefairness.org/aboutwf.php
    Workplace Fairness is a non-profit organization that provides information, education and assistance to individual workers and their advocates nationwide and promotes public policies that advance employee rights. Our goals are that workers and their advocates are educated about workplace rights and options for resolving workplace problems, and that the policy makers, members of the business community, and the public at large view the fair treatment of workers as both good business practice and sound public policy.
    -------------------------

    http://www.workplacefairness.org/paywatch.php
    Corporate Pay Watch

    The latest news about salaries, bonuses, and stock options of CEOs and other corporate officials.
    As reporters comb proxy statements for the otherwise-hidden details of executive compensation, we compile the results here. Please note that some articles may no longer be available on the source?s website, or may not be accessible without payment of a fee, as different sites have different archive policies.
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    http://www.fairlabor.org/2004report/index.html
    Fair Labor Association

    The FLA's Year Two Annual Public Report provides the public with an impartial, detailed look into what 25 diverse companies have done in the past year to improve the working conditions in the factories where they produce around the world.
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    http://www.fairlabor.org/2004report/companies/participating/index.html
    Participating Companies
    Participating Companies (PCs) commit to implement FLA Standards in factories throughout their supply chains. Reports on the following companies seek to provide the reader with information about their efforts to comply with FLA requirements.
    The Participating Companies included in the FLA's Year Two Report are:

    adidas-Salomon
    Eddie Bauer
    GEAR for Sports
    Liz Claiborne
    Reebok (including Reebok footwear, an FLA-accredited compliance program)
    Nordstrom
    Nike
    Patagonia
    Phillips-Van Heusen
    Zephyr-Graf-X

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    http://www.pay-equity.org/
    National Committee on Pay Equity

    The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), founded in 1979, is a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations; labor unions; religious, professional, legal, and educational associations, commissions on women, state and local pay equity coalitions and individuals working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity.
    -------------------------------------------------


    http://www.beysterinstitute.org/index.cfm
    The Beyster Institute

    WHO WE ARE
    The Beyster Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the use of entrepreneurship and employee ownership nationally and internationally, in both the public and private sectors, as a way to build high performing enterprises and improve corporate performance.
    WHAT WE DO
    By providing practical information and assistance to help organizations implement and sustain equity-based compensation and broad-based participation programs, we work to enhance economic and social development through broader ownership and involvement in the free enterprise system.
    -------------------------------------------------


    http://www.greatplacetowork.com/
    The Great Place to Work Institute, Inc. is a research and management consultancy based in the U.S. with International Affiliate offices throughout the world.
    At the Great Place to Work Institute, we have been listening to employees and evaluating employers since 1980, to understand what makes a workplace great. We know that the foundation of every great workplace is trust between employees and management. Our ongoing research, measurement tools, and educational services have made us leaders in helping build high-trust workplaces.
    -------------------------------------------------


    http://www.winningworkplaces.org/index.php
    Winning Workplaces is a not-for-profit providing information, training, ideas, consulting, and easy-to-use, affordable tools to help small and midsize organizations create great workplaces. The business experience of our founders and evidence from other companies prove that people-friendly workplaces produce better business results.
    http://www.winningworkplaces.org/library/success/index.php
    Success Stories

    ***** You can browse the list of companies under a variety of categories.


    ===============
    SEARCH STRATEGY
    ===============

    egalitarian business models
    egalitarian compensation
    egalitarian compensation models
    Egalitarian companies
    "compensation practices"
    Organizational justice and compensation
    ben & jerry's executive compensation
    executive compensation
    "pay gap" executives "rank and file"
    Egalitarian companies
    limit "executive compensation"
    open book compensation


  • You might look at the UK's John Lewis Partnership
    - not exactly 'egalitarian' - but an interesting and surviving model

    There is also the UK's Neal's Yard whole food operation
    - I have only got word of mouth about what happened there

    Remember what Snowball painted on the wall of the barn
    'All animals are ...'


  • Hello dancingbear-ga,

    Even with your clarification I?m not sure what would constitute a satisfactory answer. Are you looking for companies that might fit your description of somewhat egalitarian compensation models? Are you looking for companies that are egalitarian in valuing worker input? Are you interested in other corporate qualities? Here are two companies and a case study that I think might be relevant. Please look them over and see if I?m on the right track. I look forward to your clarification.
    ~ czh ~


    http://www.patagonia.com/culture/main_our_culture.shtml
    Patagonia, Inc.

    http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=703035 Harvard Business Case: Patagonia

    ----------------------------------

    http://www.bdel.com/about/index.html
    Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

    http://www.connect-utah.com/article.asp?r=251&iid=20&sid=3
    The Climb To Success: Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf

    ----------------------------------

    http://www.wlrk.com/index.cfm
    Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

    http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~wstarbuc/mob/wachtell.html
    Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
    STATISTICAL STUDIES OF LAW FIRMS

    http://www.vault.com/companies/company_main.jsp?product_id=422&ch_id=242&co_page=1
    Company Profile: Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz


  • Hello again dancingbear-ga,

    I'm sorry about the delay in posting your answer but I'm having some cable access problems. I should have it straightened out by tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.
    ~ czh ~


  • Hello dancingbear-ga,

    This was a very interesting search project and I'm glad you're happy with the results. Just post a clarification if you need further information about my findings. Thank you for the five stars and the very generous tip. I'd love to work with you again.
    ~ czh ~


  • I dunno- how about you just go for it- do what feels right to you and let me know. I'm interested in variety and real examples- have fun with it- I'm sure I'll be happy- I'm pretty easy to please. Thanks for taking it on.


  • That's fine- safe travels.
    DancingBear


  • Thanks dancingbear-ga. I'll continue my explorations now that I know I'm on the right track. How many examples would you consider a satisfactory answer? Thanks.
    ~ czh ~


  • Hello again dancingbear-ga,

    Thank you for your patience. My computer problems are resolved and I'm almost finished with the answer to your question but I will not be able to post it until tomorrow because I have a prior commitment out of town. I'm sorry for these delays and appreciate your forbearance.
    ~ czh ~


  • Thanks for the 2 tips- i lived in London for 2 years- and was never aware of the structure John Lewis operated in. I also stay right next to Neals Yard when I go over for work- and I always wondered how the food shops there worked together. And yes- maybe Egalitarian is too much- I'm interested in non hierarchical and distibuted ownership / compensation /accountability models. For example -3M used to have a model whereby if you came up with a new product you were passionate about- you were able to set yourself up as a mini copmany- and as long as you met cretain periodic criteria through peer reviews etc. , you were allowed to grow.