Mondragon: Re: Mondragon

[RaceM <race@netspace.net.au>]

I am concerned that COG's Mondragon page seems to be in danger of 
being still-born.It was my hope in accepting COG's invitation to 
moderate the page (at least in an interim capacity) that human 
resource management,industrial relations and industrial democracy 
specialists could be encouraged to address themselves in specific and 
practical terms to what I see as the most important challenge 
currently confronting Mondragon: namely, how to replicate at the 
shopfloor level the degree of democratisation that has been achieved 
in the sphere of governance, and thereby alleviate and perhaps 
ultimately eliminate the disturbing degree of disaffection among some 
members of the co-operatives that the Greenwood and Gonzalez research 
identified in the late 1980s and that has also surfaced in subsequent 
studies by Mikel Lezamiz and his Office of Sociological Research at 
Otalora. However, it was never my intention that the theme of 
shopfloor democratisation should be pre-emptive, and I hope that,if 
other issues are seen as being more important or likely to have more 
widespread application, they can now be brought forward.

Meanwhile, be other suggestions as they may, am I right is 
identifying shopfloor democratisation as a priority issue? If so, 
what are people's views as to whether and if so from whom relevant 
experience and insights are available? How can these prospective 
sources of inspiration and advice be brought into a productive 
dialogue with elements within the co-operatives who are thinking 
along similar lines? Is it desirable for there to be an International 
Mondragon Studies Association, and, if so, how can it be brought 
about? If an IMSA is to be established, would the COG conference in 
Washington in October be the time and place for it to happen? Best 
wishes, Race Mathews

-- 


Dr Race Mathews,
Senior Research Fellow,
Government and Governance Unit,
Faculty of Business and Economics
Monash University.

Postal Address:
123 Alexandra Avenue,
South Yarra, Vic, 3141,
Australia.

Phone/Fax: (03) 9826 0104.