WorldBlu, a for-profit leadership and business design studio specializing in organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership, is currently inviting any organization in the for-profit, non-profit or government sector to apply for the second annual WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces 2008. The application deadline to register for the WorldBlu List is 1 February 2008. Once registered, applicants are sent a link to a short online survey that their employees will take. They will have until 29 February 2008 to complete the survey.
According to Traci Fenton, CEO and Founder of WorldBlu, cultivating a democratic workplace takes focus and discipline.
"Organizational democracy is freedom within a business framework. It is a strategy for organizational design and a way of leading and managing an organization. It is achieved when an organization uses the principles of democracy to design the way it operates daily, thereby cultivating a workplace that enhances employee potential, achieves its business goals and positively impacts the community."
EO Vancouver member Brian Scudamore and his company, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, was one of 34 organizations that made last year’s premier "WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces 2007." Other companies that made the list include Great Harvest Bread Company, Honest Tea, Continuum, Linden Lab, SRC Holdings, Equal Exchange, Zingerman’s, GE Aviation Durham and more.
"This could be terrific exposure for any EO member’s company. To date, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, BusinessWeek, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The St. Petersburg (Russia) Times and dozens of other publications, blogs, radio shows and online media outlets have written stories about WorldBlu List awardees or have published the WorldBlu List in its entirety, reaching more than 36 million people worldwide," said Traci.
If you think your organization or company would be a great candidate for the WorldBlu List 2008, fill out an application and get more information by following this link.
Good luck!
According to WorldBlu, here is a chart to help you understand the characteristics of organizational democracy:
| Organizational democracy is not . . . |
Organizational democracy is . . .
|
| Politics |
Business |
| Consensus-only |
Conversations |
| Being flat |
Decentralized networks |
| Management |
Leadership |
| Size |
Strategy |
| Being slow |
Knowing when to be fast AND when to be slow |
| Giving up control |
Giving up the delusion that you’re in control |
| Ignoring profits |
Profits and people |
| Cosmetic office perks |
Creating meaningful work |
| Being a great workplace for everyone |
Being a great workplace for those who can thrive in a decentralized and dynamic environment |
| Analyzing decision-making techniques |
Making decisions |
| Only a triple bottom-line |
A quadruple bottom-line (financial, community, external environment and internal environment) |
| Voting on everything |
Ongoing participation in the things that matter |