Values at Work is an analysis of organizational dynamics with wide-ranging implications in an age of market globalization. It looks at the challenges businesses face to maintain people-oriented work systems while remaining successful in the larger economy. George Cheney revisits the famous Mondragon worker-owned-and-governed cooperatives in the Basque Country of Spain to examine how that collection of innovative and democratic businesses is responding to the broad trend of "marketization."
The Mondragon cooperatives are changing in important ways as a direct result of both external pressures to be more competitive and the rise of consumerism, as well as through the modification of internal policies toward greater efficiency. One of the most remarkable aspects of the changes is that some of the same business slogans now heard around the globe are being adopted in this set of organizations renowned for its strongly held internal values, such as participatory democracy, solidarity, and equality. Instead of emphasizing the special or unique qualities of the Mondragon experience, this book demonstrates the case's relevance to trends in all sectors and across the industrialized world.
Values at Work is an analysis of organizational dynamics with wide-ranging implications in an age of market globalization. It looks at the challenges businesses face to maintain people-oriented work systems while remaining successful in the larger economy. George Cheney revisits the famous Mondragon worker-owned-and-governed cooperatives in the Basque Country of Spain to examine how that collection of innovative and democratic businesses is responding to the broad trend of marketization.
The Mondragon cooperatives are changing in important ways as a direct result of both external pressures to be more competitive and the rise of consumerism, as well as through the modification of internal policies toward greater efficiency. One of the most remarkable aspects of the changes is that some of the same business slogans now heard around the globe are being adopted in this set of organizations renowned for its strongly held internal values, such as participatory democracy, solidarity, and equality. Instead of emphasizing the special or unique qualities of the Mondragon experience, this book demonstrates the case's relevance to trends in all sectors and across the industrialized world.
Industry Reviews
"In this thoughtful, well-written book Cheney eschews simplistic answers in favor of complex, thoughtful analysis. He raises important questions about the ability of socially conscious companies to operate in a world economy dominated by an ethos of unbridled competition. Rather than adopt a 'good-guys' versus 'bad-guys' approach, the author leaves it to the reader to weigh the long term consequences of unchecked economic development."-Choice. June 2000. "Values at Work is an ambitious theoretical and research study... This is a worthwhile and interesting study, full of bright ideas about the future of work and employee participation."-Peter Ackers, Loughborough University. American Journal of Sociology, Nov. 00 "Cheney's book offers practical guidelines for value-based organizations engaging in today's market, who want to preserve their social integrity."-Organization Studies, 2000, 21, Issue 4. "Values at Work is a landmark contribution to our knowledge about workplace democracy. The clarity of writing, the richness of data, and the careful analysis make this book a must read for anyone interested in democratic participation in an organizational setting."-Francois Cooren, University at Albany, SUNY. Management Communication Quarterly. August 2000. "Critically examines how one business... is dealing with external pressures to compete in the global market while working to revive its long-held values of workplace democracy within the new configuration of the customer-centered or market-driven firm."-Journal of Economic Literature, September, 2000. "Cheney has identified a deadly fascinating dilemma: Mondragon's executives feel that they must grow or die: either meet and match foreign competition or be overwhelmed... Cheney renders a valuable service by bringing new systemic concerns to the attention of the scholarly community and Mondragon leadership and by uncovering the process by which success and growth in any organization may ultimately corrupt its purpose and values."-Jacquelyn Yates, Kent State University. International Journal of Politics and Ethics, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2001 "George Cheney provides new insight into the evolution of the Mondragon cooperatives, and the key tensions between their internal and external environments. This book ranks with the best of the organizational and sociological writing to date on Mondragon, and it productively uses the Mondragon case to reflect on larger issues at stake between innovative organizations and 'global' markets."-Christopher Gunn, Professor of Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges "Values at Work is a provocative read on the prospects for workplace democracy in today's hyper-competitive global economy. George Cheney excels in showing how both cooperatives and conventional corporations must reconcile relentless marketization of our cultural and economic life with the democratic spirit."-Charles Derber, author of Corporation Nation: How Corporations Are Taking Over Our Lives and What We Can Do About It "Can democracy in the workplace co-exist with global competitiveness? George Cheney seeks answers from the workers and managers of the Mondragon cooperatives, providing a balanced and sensitive record of their contemporary voices."-Raymond Russell, University of California, Riverside
