Global shifts point towards workplace democracy: WorldBlu

Traci Fenton, founder and CEO of WorldBlu, says the most exciting aspect of the democratic workplaces movement is the shifts in consciousness, demographics and power that are all aligning around democracy.

“What most excites me is that we are moving into such a shift in consciousness in the world right now,” says Fenton.

“It’s a tremendous time,” she says.

“When you look at all the global factors at play, what’s happening with democracy in the workplace — it all converges together.”

Regardless of politics, with United States president-elect Barack Obama there is a sea change of thought as people want to be empowered and feel empowered, says Fenton. Obama’s democratization of the campaign and political process is similar to what WorldBlu is striving to do, she says.

“We’re trying to democratize business and it is a time of dramatic reform that is needed,” says Fenton.

“It’s about a complete overhaul and reform of business as we know it by giving power to the people to track their own destiny with a sense of freedom and accountability and discipline that goes with that,” she says.

The new generation of workers are people who want to have authentic and flexible work environments.

“The baby boomer generation is largely responsible for organizing and perpetuating command-and-control corporate structures,” states the WorldBlu website. As baby boomers move toward retirement they are going towards new structures with more choice, meaning and autonomy.

Generations X and Y expect authentic and flexible work environments.

Fenton says she would like to see more people boldly stepping up and saying workplace democracy is what they want.

“I would like to see more current business leaders and future business leaders stepping up and saying, ‘this is what we want, we want it because it makes sense to the bottom line, it makes sense morally and ethically to treat people this way, and it makes sense with the bigger social issues.’”

There are many people working on different pieces of the equation to foster the movement, Fenton says.  Software and technology companies are developing new tools to help companies run democratically, media companies are reporting on the new ideas and consulting firms are promoting democratic practices, to name a few.

WorldBlu is working to aggregate the movement.

“What it’s going to take is all of us collectively coming together and saying ‘this is it’ and just being really bold, no holds barred about it,” Fenton says. “This is what we want, ‘yes we can’ to the world of business.”

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