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associated with the Homestead Act and the ownership technologies such as the ESOP and the coop.

A question then arises how best to establish and maintain a culture in a company that will support and enhance both the performance of individual workers and the company as a whole. American workers, as well as their fellows throughout the world, have been trained in the dependent wage-worker mentality since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. A new type of management system is needed to help educate and train workers in ownership, at the same time that it assists the company in improving its performance.

One possible system is called "Justice-Based Management," or "JBM." JBM is a leadership philosophy and management system that applies universal principles of economic and social justice within business organizations. The ultimate purpose of JBM is to create and sustain ownership cultures that enhance the dignity and development of every member of the company, and to empower each person economically as an owner and worker.

The basic idea is to promote the long-term profitability of a company within the global marketplace. This is accomplished by using the management system to assist all workers to serve and provide higher value to the customer. It provides worker incentives by connecting the individual's self-interest to the bottom-line and the long-term success of the company.

JBM builds on a written articulation of the philosophy and principles of the company's leader and leadership core group, in terms of universal principles and core values of the company. JBM builds a consensus upon these fundamental shared values and vision throughout the company.

These articulated values provide the foundation for enhancing the productiveness of workers and company profitability, and include such structures as employee-monitored economic incentive programs, participation and governance structures, two-way communications and accountability systems, conflict management systems and future planning and renewal programs.

The very nature of JBM means that this description is going to be "vague." To be effective, JBM has to be "tailored" to each company's unique culture. A well-designed Justice-Based Management system sharpens and crystallizes the leader's philosophy around "universal" principles, providing a solid foundation for a corporate culture that enables people to internalize these guiding principles. JBM generates organizational synergy by connecting each worker-owner to the financial tools of ownership (e.g., ESOP and profit sharing), participative management systems, and a defined share of power in the governance of the organization. This in turn enables people to make better decisions, discipline their own behavior, and work together more effectively and cooperatively - because it is truly in their self-interest to do so.

Learn more about this author, Michael Greaney.
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