Beyond the Corporation: Humanity Working

Erdal was born into a generations-old family-owned business papermill and looks philosophically at the value of an employee-owned business versus other traditional business models. Early on, Erdal tips his hat as to preference: in a traditional corporate structure, "Why should employees bother to do anything other than the absolute minimum to keep their jobs?" Erdal, chairman of the Employee Ownership Trust, spends the balance of the book examining why employee ownership is the best corporate model. He provides plenty of compelling reasons: ownership breeds responsibility, encourages innovation, and ensures commitment. Erdal's book could be influential but it's written at a level which will reach mainly committed academics or business managers. On top of that, many of Erdal's references are British, which have less resonance on this side of the Atlantic. Still, Erdal's interviews with employees from a British employee-owned department store, John Lewis, are informative and brilliantly underscore the author's message. Readers who make it to the end of the book will be rewarded with even more meaningful reasons for transitioning to employee-owned businesses: their employees work harder, are less stressed, and may even live longer. Blake Friedman Literary Agency (U.K.). (Nov.)