Employee Ownership, Technology and Innovation
Author: Johnson, Jennifer
Source: The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education
Year: 2010
Abstract:
A popular topic in discussions of innovation and entrepreneurship, the high-technology industry has also had success with employee ownership. Increased employee participation encourages the same traits that high-tech companies often look to encourage in their organizations: employee motivation, team work, innovation, involvement, and constructive culture.
The following Collection includes material on a number of companies at the cutting edge of technology development as well as several companies with less high-profile products, but who nevertheless emphasize both technological development and innovation. It includes material on companies from the 100% employee-owned to those offering stock options; it also covers a broad range of specific industries including hardware and software development, solar technologies and even high-tech fabrics. This Collection includes SAIC, Namaste, and Google, among others. It also allows for the discussion a number of the challenges faced by these firms, including employee retention, ownership without becoming a public company, and governing on a level playing field.
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