StudioBlu podcasts to tell the story of democratic organizations
‘We want to feed the movement,’ says WorldBlu CEO Traci Fenton
Thursday April 23, 2009 -- Jason Thompson
WorldBlu CEO Traci Fenton says there is a wealth of knowledge out there on how to grow and sustain democratic workplaces and she’s looking to turn it loose.

In an effort to tap into that knowledge and help promote the spread of organizational democracy, Fenton is preparing to release StudioBlu — a series of podcasts designed to bring the stories of WorldBlu list companies, as well as thought leaders in what Fenton calls work and lifestyle democracy, to the public.

“We feel there are these stories that aren’t being told, but also there is a certain connection and a humanity that comes with hearing people’s voices as they tell their story,” Fenton says.

The plan is to release several podcasts to start, beginning in May, followed by one a week thereafter. The podcasts will be presented in a question and answer format and will be roughly 20 minutes in length. The podcasts will be available online but Fenton is also hoping she'll be able to offer them through iTunes.

Fenton says this activity is building towards WorldBlu’s goal of 20,000 democratic workplaces by 2020.

“We want to feed the movement and inspire the movement,” Fenton says. “We want to tell the stories and think there are a lot of best practices and good ideas and tips that these CEOs and thought leaders have on this topic.”

Fenton says that WorldBlu has recently shifted from a for-profit to a non-profit model and has taken on a purely educational focus.

“We want to become an educational platform and to be the source that people go to learn how to build, sustain and grow a democratic organization and a democratic workplace,” she says.

Upcoming guests who will be featured in the podcasts include:

• Bill Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company magazine
• Mark Dowds, CEO of Brainpark
• Brett Jackson, CEO of Generation Think Tank
• Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations
• Bill Morales, CEO of Tracer Corporation
• Srikumar Rao, author of Are You Ready to Succeed?
• Mikko Kotila, CEO of Getting Personal
• Mike Ferretti, CEO of Great Harvest Bread Company
• Gretchen Spreitzer, Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan
 
To suggest a speaker to be featured in an installment of StudioBlu, contact Meegan March via e-mail at meegan(at)worldblu(dot)com.

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