Democracy in the Workplace

Chapter 8: Teams and Networks

Stan Deetz's multiple stakeholder model is concerned with creating a democratic dialogue within organizations pushing them to listen to the concerns not just of shareholders or members of the board but all levels of staff and even the community. With this theory Deetz is attempting to create a model in which organizations will take heed that their decisions can impact the community and the world at large and try to think about these concerns when performing their service. By creating a workplace of owners, integrating management with work, distributing information throughout the organization, and facilitating a social structure from the bottom, Deetz believes organizations can become more democratic and town-hall like.

Reading about Deetz's theory I was most intrigued by how the diffusing of information horizontally across an organization can make it more open and democratic. We live in the information age, like never before the standard "information is power" rings especially true. As with a diffusing of power, information that is spread throughout the organization is a form of empowerment. Employees that are allowed into the decision making process and feel just as important and included as management make for better workers. In Deetz's model, empowerment of one's employees is the key to a healthy democratic and service conscious organization.