Employee-ownership: Exploring the Potentials of Practicing a Democratic Ideal

Abstract

The recurrent focus on democratic organisations moves beyond ideological framings and employs a broader focus on democracy and employee-ownership as foundation for more resilient businesses, increased work-life satisfaction and as potential for democratizing labour and economy. However, there is in general a lack of qualitative studies that widens the understanding of such democratic organizations, and the inherent tensions and dilemmas of such, at a micro-level. Based on a qualitative case study across Italy, Spain and Denmark, this article explores and reveal the interplay between how employee-owners experience democratic organizing as practice, and how this is related to ideas of the good work-life and ideals that reach beyond the workplace itself. These findings lay the ground for discussing employee-ownership as a possible way to alter current perceptions and understandings of, not only what a business is and can be, but also of how to democratically organize for a sustainable future.