WorldBlu Certifies 48 Organizations Globally as “Democratic Workplaces”
At Zappos.com, headquartered in Henderson, NV, there are “Skip Meetings” held twice a year where everyone has the opportunity to interact with their manager’s manager. They share ideas, feedback and solutions, providing a direct voice-of-the-people perspective on how to drive positive change in their departments.
MindValley, a new media publishing company based in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia, employees aren’t assigned a mentor – they pick their own. At Valtech’s offices in Copenhagen, Demark, the global digital marketing agency invites employees to pick their own manager as well.
At Menlo Innovations, based in Ann Arbor, MI, rather than working alone, each team member shares a computer with another team member and rotates partners weekly, increasing collective intelligence and team cohesion.
Rather than fear in the workplace, WD-40 Company’s CEO, Garry Ridge, believes they are in the “memories business” and has built a culture around creating positive lasting happy memories for employees, consumers, and shareholders.
At SAYS.com, a social media company based Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, employees are given the choice of writing their own job descriptions with team members and testing it out, resulting in “micro-innovations” and opportunities for new talents to emerge.
The Link School, a small high school based in Buena Vista, Colorado, models the future of education. It uses consensus-based democracy, where all staff as well as students have an equal input in core decisions.
WorldBlu List organizations also practice open-book management techniques and some companies, such as Future Considerations and Nixon McInnes, both headquartered in the UK, and Glassdoor and Namasté Solar in the US, even have open salaries.
“Organizational democracy is inevitable,” comments Fenton. “The Internet, the demands of generations X and Y to have a voice in the workplace, and the Gallup Organization’s report that nearly two-thirds of US workers are disengaged at work are causing businesses to rethink their management models and embrace a more democratic style. The companies that choose organizational democracy will lead their industries, boost their bottom-line, and ultimately build a more democratic world.”
View the full WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ 2012 and read more unique best practices from this year’s list at http://worldblu.com/awardee-profiles/2012.php.
About WorldBlu
WorldBlu has offices throughout the US and UK and specializes in organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership, with organizational and individual members in over 70 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, WorldBlu’s vision is to see one billion people working in free and democratic workplaces. For more information about WorldBlu, visit the website at http://www.worldblu.com.
(Note to editors: Ms. Traci Fenton is available for interviews. Contact information is at the top of the release. The complete list of certified organizations follows.)
The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ 2012: (A list, not a ranking.)
1. Achievers (formerly I Love Rewards) – San Francisco, CA
2. AIESEC International – Rotterdam, Netherlands
3. areyoufrank? Minneapolis, MN*
4. Axiom News – Ontario, Canada
5. Barrett Values Centre, Ashville, NC*
6. Beyond Borders – Washington DC
7. Boost New Media – Wellington, New Zealand*
8. Chaordix – Calgary, Canada
9. Chroma Technology – Corp Bellows Falls, VT
10. DaVita – Denver, CO
11. DreamHost – Brea, CA
12. Dyn – Manchester, NH*
13. Explore Communications – Denver, CO
14. Future Considerations – London, UK and Madison, WI
15. Glassdoor – Sausalito, CA
16. Great Harvest Bread Company – Dillon, MT
17. Greenleaf Book Group – Austin, TX
18. Guayaki Yerba Mate – Sebastopol, CA
19. Haiti Partners – Port au Prince, Haiti
20. HCL Technologies – Noida, India
21. Ikamva Youth – Cape Town, South Africa*
22. Innovation Partners International – Washington, DC
23. Integritive – Asheville, NC
24. LEARN – Laval, Canada
25. Menlo Innovations – Ann Arbor, MI
26. MindValley – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
27. Mojo Interactive – Orlando, FL
28. Namaste Solar – Boulder, CO
29. Nearsoft – Hermosillo, Mexico
30. New Belgium Brewing Company – Fort Collins, CO
31. NixonMcInnes – Brighton, UK
32. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – New York, NY
33. Quick Left, Boulder, CO*
34. Podio – Copenhagen, Denmark
35. Productivity Associates – San Diego, CA
36. Reserveage Organics, Gainesville, FL*
37. Rabbit – London, UK
38. Rypple – Toronto, Canada
39. SAYS.com, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia*
40. STATSIT – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
41. sweetriot – New York, NY
42. TakingITGlobal – Toronto, Canada
43. The Link School – Buena Vista, CO
44. Tickled Media, Singapore*
45. Valtech – Copenhagen, Denmark
46. WD-40 Company – San Diego, CA
47. Woo-hoo! – Copenhagen, Denmark
48. Zappos.com – Las Vegas, NV
* = Indicates the first year the organization has received WorldBlu certification.
