The power of the people

Malaysian Business, Feb 16, 2005 by Reviewed by Hari Raj

`THE DEMOCRATIC ENTERPRISE'

By: Lynda Gratton

Publisher: Prentice Hall/Pearson Education

Pages: 254

Price: RM71.80

THE freedom of speech and choice - the certainty that we have a forum

for our opinions and ideas - is something that the vast majority of us

take for granted. We live in an age where the dissemination of information

is king, but many businesses still refuse to allow their employees the

autonomy to become truly productive.

This is the case argued by Lynda Gratton, whose vast experience in the

area of human resources has led to the publication of this comprehensive-

yet-never-overbearing book. With three building blocks - individual

autonomy, organisational variety and the container that provides a frame -

Gratton lays the foundation for organisations worldwide that harness the

power of their employees in new and exciting ways. She emphasises the

importance of the individual's role, both to themselves and to the

organisation, as a whole.

The Democratic Enterprise has been meticulously researched, with each

leap of judgment and conclusion drawn after painstaking analysis and

seemingly endless corroborating data. Despite this, the book never loses a

sense of vitality, as it proposes not just sweeping changes but further

advancements along the grooves already carved by the progression of

organisational behaviour studies today.