Command and control may be used to run some companies, but not those recently named to the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces 2009. The 40 for-profit and nonprofit organizations representing the industries of technology, healthcare, telecommunications, aerospace, manufacturing and retail, have all established a solid working foundation based on the principles of freedom and possibility.

"WorldBlu promotes organizational democracy worldwide. I started WorldBlu in 1997 while I was still in college when I fell in love with the idea of democracy and how it could apply to the workplace. It was really a side project," says Traci Fenton, founder and president of the Austin, Texas-based WorldBlu. "After graduating from college, I worked for a Fortune 500 company. On the first day, I realized that instead of having a voice and making a contribution, I was just a cog in the machine and ended up resigning four months later. I really became dedicated to WorldBlu and recognized that organizational democracy was a movement and wanted to bring together the world's most democratic workplaces. It really is a powerful way to run a business."

Specifically, all WorldBlu finalists were identified as being an "organizational democracy" for demonstrating the 10 principles of purpose and vision; transparency; dialogue and listening; fairness and dignity; accountability; individual and collective; choice; integrity; decentralization; reflection and evaluation. Axion News, BetterWorld Telecom, DreamHost and Tracer Corporation are among the list of employers that are the fairest of them all.

According to Razor Suleman, CEO of I Love Rewards, a Toronto-based employee rewards and recognition provider and one of the WorldBlu Most Democratic Workplaces, it really is about giving power to the people.

"At I Love Rewards we stand for democracy, whether that is empowering employees to choose their own rewards or recognizing others in the organization. We don't believe in the old school methods of saying here is a grandfather clock and gold watch after a certain number of years, or top down management. The world has changed and if you are an organization using rewards and recognition invented 100 years ago during the Industrial Age, you are not going to capture the hearts and minds of the Gen Y workers entering the workplace, and you will completely miss the benefits of the knowledge economy that we are shifting towards."

Currently, there are several initiatives at I Love Rewards that help to achieve an egalitarian environment for its 27 employees. "We have a recognition program in place where employees are allowed to recognize each other. It is not just top down where managers recognize you. Our style is peer-to-peer, up, down, whoever you believe has lived one of our values. Every week at I Love Rewards there is a budget to recognize the individuals who demonstrate our values of passion, integrity, continuous improvement, exceeding expectations, sharing and transparency," Suleman says.

Another outlet that gives I Love Reward employees a stake in the organization is a monthly rewards and recognition luncheon featuring a "People's Choice Award" for customer service that is voted on by staffers. Additionally, everyone can offer their input on organizational objectives. When Suleman, wanted feedback for the company's Master Plan, which outlines the goals for the year, he sent it to all employees and asked them what they thought were the highest and lowest priorities. "Every employee had their say on which initiatives were really important. We eliminated the bottom ones and changed our strategic plan after incorporating employees' thoughts and feedback," he says.

I Love Rewards is just one example of an employer striving to achieve equality for all. The complete WorldBlu List of Democratic Workplaces 2009 is available on www.worldblu.com. This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy