LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research researcher Oier Imaz analyzes norwegian industrial democracy with three other international researchers
LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research researcher Oier Imaz analyzes norwegian industrial democracy with three other international researchers
LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research researcher Oier Imaz analyzes norwegian industrial democracy with three other international researchers
'A socio-technical approach to participation in the company: Industrial democracy in Aker Solutions', written with Johan E. Ravn, Trond Sanne Haga and Davydd J. Greenwood, is publication number 17 of the LANKI Notebooks collection.
Oier Imaz, professor and researcher at the LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research at Mondragon University, has published a new book in the LANKI Notebooks collection: A socio-technical approach to participation in the company: Industrial democracy in Aker Solutions. The book is number 17 in this collection and has been published in two languages, Basque and Spanish.
- Una aproximación socio-técnica a la participación en la empresa: La democracia industrial en Aker Solutions (pdf).
- Enpresan parte hartzeko hurbilketa sozio-teknikoa: industria-demokrazia Aker Soluntions-en. (pdf)
The book was written in collaboration with three other authors: Johan E. Ravn, professor at Nord University and Chief Scientist of the SINTEF Group; Trond Sanne Haga, Doctor of Science and Technology at the University of Norway - The Hague; and Davydd J. Greenwood, Goldwin Smith Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Cornell University and former Director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Institute of European Studies. In this work, the authors carry out a case analysis of industrial democracy in Norway, focusing on the company Aker Solutions.
In the words of researcher Oier Imaz, “the book is part of a broader work in which we have tried to compare Norwegian industrial democracy with Mondragon cooperativism.” The purpose for carrying out the study was “to identify the possibilities for mutual learning between the two models, for which we developed a joint analytical framework. Based on this framework, the book aims to introduce the Norwegian model to Mondragon cooperativists.”
Rather than focusing on the company itself, the authors focused primarily on the model. For this purpose, they emphasize the comparison between the two models. First, the calling to deal in a different way with the contradictions that arise between capital and labor lies at the origin of both organizations; additionally, in both organizations there is concern for the participation of workers.
In addition, the LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research researcher added that the comparison between the two models is interesting because they have characteristics in common: “Regarding the company, it’s interesting because Aker Solutions is a company in the industrial sector, closely linked to the desire to respond to the strategic needs of the territory. It’s a company that has strong roots in its territory, a large employer in its region and therefore closely linked to the community. But, as happened here, it’s an organization that has grown a lot in recent decades – internationalization, mergers, etc. – and that growth has created tensions.”
The authors
Johan E. Ravn, professor at Nord University and Chief Scientist of the SINTEF Group, has undertaken several action research projects, mainly in industrial organizations, and has published articles on action research, collaborative labor relations and the design of socio-technical systems.
Oier Imaz Alias (Mondragon University) is a researcher at the LANKI Institute of Cooperative Research and a professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences. His research has focused on the governance of responsible innovation systems and, currently, on the governance of the Mondragon cooperatives. He has published several articles on multistakeholder governance, cooperativism and sustainability.
Trond Sanne Haga (Aker Solutions), holds a PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He currently works for Aker Solutions, a Norwegian provider of various energy solutions, as a senior manager responsible for the R+D transformation project and competitive flexibility. His most recent publications focus on sociotechnology and alienation.
Davydd J. Greenwood is the Goldwin Smith Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Cornell University, as well as a former director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Institute of European Studies. A corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, he has published 10 books and dozens of articles on Spain, universities and action research for organizational and democratic change.