Just picking up the Spirit Level again, and finding great stuff to share.
As a way of creating a more egalitarian society, employee ownership and control have many advantages. First, it enables a process of social emancipation as people become members of a team. Second, it puts the scale of earning differentials ultimately under democratic control:if the body of employees want big income differentials they could choose to keep them. Third it involves a very substantial redistribution of wealth from external share holders to employees and a simultaneous redistribution of the income from that wealth. In this context, that is a particularly important advantage. Fourth, it improves productivity and so has a competitive advantage. Fifth, it increases the likelihood that people will regain the experience of community. And sixth, it is likely to improve sociability in the wider society.
The real reward however, is not simply to have a few employee-owned companies in a society still dominated by hierarchical ideology and status-seeking, but to have a society of people freer those divisions.
– The Spirit Level:Why Equality is Better for Everyone. p.260-261.
Yes, gentle readers, a more a egalitarian society is better for everyone. What a concept eh? :)
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
3 comments
June 21, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Vern R. Kaine
Employees actually acting like business owners – what a concept indeed! :) In most cases, employee ownership is a great idea.
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June 21, 2011 at 10:48 pm
The Arbourist
*looks around for Trojan horse*
We find some similarity on another issue? What the heck Vern? :)
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June 22, 2011 at 10:39 am
Vern R. Kaine
Haha. Perhaps you’re just a closet Capitalist, Arb?!. ;) Seriously, though, where it makes fiscal sense either employee ownership or profit-sharing is mostly a great idea with proper training of employees (for example, showing how deliberately overcharging customers might be tempting in the short-term, but is bad long-term).
In light of the recent Air Canada issue, one would have a hard time arguing that WestJet’s employee-owner model hasn’t been a direct factor in its success both on the supply and demand side.
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