Re: EOpriv: Response to Wheatcroft: Developing competent management

["Don Ward" <donrward@hotmail.com>]

David Not certain that I understand transparency and accountability as they 
help get the confidence of employees. In the 60's we introduced sensitivity 
training in the States. The purpose was to teach supervisors how they came 
across and how the use of "babe" and other equally unflattering terms turned 
off females. Likewise there were words which Blacks found offensive. Beyond 
that it taught the supervisor to see themselves through the eyes of 
employees so that hopefully they would do things that gained employee trust. 
It worked best when the supervisor's supervisor also took the training so 
that his behavior became a model for the lower level supervisors. It took 
constant reinforcement. Did the UK ever try that? Also heard today  that 
Walmart is in trouble somewhere in Europe for selling things like milk and 
bread below cost. My contact said it is illegal. Do you know anything about 
it? Will write more later.     Don Ward
PS> I shat a 48 for 9 holes of golf last week. St. Andrews here I come



>From: "David Wheatcroft" <david@wheatcroft38.freeserve.co.uk>
>Reply-To: EOpriv@cog.kent.edu
>To: "EOPrivatisation Group" <EOpriv@cog.kent.edu>
>Subject: Re: EOpriv: Response to Wheatcroft: Developing competent 
>management
>Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 08:43:25 +0100
>
>Dan Thanks for your comments
>
>Non Executive Directors are people who do not work for the company but are
>bought on to the Board for their expertise in various fields. In a
>conventional company  they would be senior figures from Banking, Lawfirms
>and probably a Multinational Company. They bring breath and outside
>knowledge to the Board. In some cases they are the body that assess the
>executive directors and also acts as their salary review team. They are
>usually paid a retainer and are only expected to be active in the company a
>few days a month.
>
>In my present company Stagecoach we have 4 Non Executives out of a board of
>12
>
>In some UK Employee Owned Companies the Non Executives would also include
>members who are experts in EO. It is not uncommon for one of the non
>executives to be appointed chairman of the Board.
>
>Coming back to the main topic if I may
>
>The 2 key factors in management of an employee owned company is 
>Transparency
>and Accountability, with out these 2 factors you will never win the trust 
>of
>the workforce
>
>Regards Dave
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Dan Bell <dbell@kent.edu>
>To: <EOpriv@cog.kent.edu>
>Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 7:53 PM
>Subject: EOpriv: Response to Wheatcroft: Developing competent management
>
>
> > Dave,
> >
> > Again I share your observation that if one can fix
> > a problem of poor management without privatizing, poor
> > management ceases to be a valid reason for privatizing.
> >
> > I think that state companies and publicly held companies
> > (ie, traded on the stock market) often share the same
> > problem, which is that the owners are too far removed
> > from the business. If managers can get away with wasteful
> > practices without being held accountable, they will.
> > Some of this waste may be in forms that enrich them
> > personally.
> >
> > Others, I believe, refer to this as the principal-agent
> > problem. Privatization is intended to align the interests
> > of the owners and the managers by making them one and the
> > same, or at least to create up-close (as Jeff Gates would
> > say) owners who are better able to keep an eye on their
> > managers.
> >
> > Certainly a possible alternative to privatization would
> > be decentralization into local autonomous units with
> > economic incentives based on local performance, while
> > retaining state ownership.
> >
> > Thanks again for your helpful comments. Could you expand
> > a little on what you mean by "Non executive Directors".
> > I was a little confused by the term.
> >
> > Dan
> > --
> > Dan Bell
> > International Program Coordinator
> > Ohio Employee Ownership Center
> > Kent State University
> > Kent, OH 44242
> > (330) 672-0333 << New direct number!
> > (330) 672-4063 fax
> > dbell@kent.edu
> > http://www.kent.edu/oeoc/
> > http://cog.kent.edu
> >
>
>

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