SYLLABUS (DRAFT) University of San Diego Study Abroad Summer Session July 5-July 9, 2010 THE “MONDRAGON EXPERIENCE” A CASE STUDY OF PARTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP AND WORKPLACE DEMOCRACY GSBA 594 Special Topics -- Models of Participatory Leadership/ EDLD 535 Models of Participatory Leadership Instructor: Dr. David Herrera Phone or Fax: (858) 453-8662 e-mail: davidherrera@sandiego.edu davidherrerat@gmail.com
Mission of the School of Business Administration: We are committed to developing socially responsible leaders and improving global business practice through innovative, personalized education and applied research.
Mission of the School of Leadership Studies and Education Sciences. It is our responsibility to prepare students with the professional knowledge, skills, and ethical perspectives they will need for effective leadership and practice in a diverse society. We seek to become, and encourage our students to become, life-long learners engaged in scholarly inquiry, research, and professional development. We value professional and community service and encourage such service by our students.
I. Course description This intensive summer course is an opportunity for participants to be exposed first-hand to a unique organizational model of participatory leadership, management, ownership and decision making by attending lectures and visiting sites at the Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa (MCC) in Mondragón, Spain. Students will become acquainted with MCC’s unique leadership, management, educational, training, financial and human resources systems. Participants will also learn the core values that support MCC, which are based on a balance between organizational and personal needs, solidarity with each other and the community, and economic and social justice. Finally, participants will become acquainted with the institutionalized policies, processes and practices that support MCC’s economic and social success.
II. Purpose The purpose of this course is to: (1) expose participants to an organization that thrives on participation (2) emphasize the importance of collaboration in participatory organizations (3) contrast MCC values and practices with those in the participant’s workplace (4) explore applications of collaborative approaches in participants’ workplaces
III. Objectives Upon completion of the seminar and the assigned readings, participants will be able to: 1. Understand a proven model to organize, lead and manage an organization based on collaborative principles 2. Appreciate how an organization can successfully satisfy the interests of individuals, organization and community 3. Understand a leadership model that works in practice by establishing policies and practices that support participatory decision making 4. Distinguish between values in collaborative and traditional organizations 5. Appreciate the influence of education in collaborative and individualistic values 6. Understand how organizations can be self-financed through collaborative approaches 7. Know how an extremely diversified and complex European organization operates 8. Contrast different aspects of the MCC organization and those in other contexts 9. Analyze advantages and disadvantages of a collaborative approach and that in one’s workplace and/or community 10. Apply MCC concepts to one’s sphere of control in the workplace or community
IV. Evaluation This course is designed to expose participants to an organization in which participation and collaboration are crucial to its success. The evaluation of the course will be based on the total experience. This includes readings, lectures and visits at MCC, insights drawn from the cultural aspect of the trip, reflections about the unique characteristics of the MCC workplace and community, comparisons with participants’ workplaces and suggestions for implementation of MCC practices. The integration of these experiences will be reflected on the final paper, which will encourage participants to generate creative applications to their workplace of what they have learned in Mondragón. 1. Reading and Other Assignments. Participants are expected to complete the assignments in two stages. The first stage includes the minimum MCC-related assignments (described in section VI B below), to be completed before the seminar starts on July 7. The second stage includes Readings that place Mondragón in larger contexts (described in section VI C below) to be completed anytime before participants write their final paper. 2. Participation: (40%) Participants are expected to contribute to the dialogue about participatory leadership, demonstrating that the assigned readings have been completed. Participation will be evaluated based on the quality, rather than the quantity, of interventions during MCC activities. 3. Final Paper: (40%) As with Participation, the final paper will be expected to demonstrate with citations and reference sources that the readings before and after
the seminar have been completed. It will be a 10-20 page scholastic paper, including references, in APA style. The paper should integrate a) the completed assigned readings; b) lessons learned during the MCC seminar; and c) the participants’ perception of the degree of participation/collaboration in their workplace and suggestions for change, even if these changes can not be implemented immediately. Participants who are not employed at this time may refer to a previous work experience. 4. Attendance: (20%) Since the course is largely dependent on the integration of readings and exposure to MCC, attendance to the preliminary session at USD, and to all lectures, site visits, debriefing meetings, etc. is expected and required.
V. Texts, Readings and Website A. Required Texts: Whyte, W. F., & Whyte, K. K. (1991). Making Mondragón. The growth and dynamics of the worker cooperative complex (2nd. ed.). Ithaca, New York: ILR Press. MacLeod, G. (1998). From Mondragón to America: Experiments in Community Economic Development. Reflections (2000). Originally published in Spanish as Pensamientos de Don Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta, compiled by Otalora and translated by C. Herrera et al. The first two required textbooks will be available at the USD bookstore in early May. The Reflections book will be available on the first day of the seminar in Mondragón’s Otalora training center. B. ERES Readings: Readings for the course are available through the USD Copley Library Electronic Reserve system (ERES). Additional readings to be assigned depending on the profile of the group. Password to be provided to registered group participants. C. Web Site: http://www.mcc.es/ing/index.asp
VI. Course Assignments A. Preliminary session. There will be a one 3-hour session held at USD before departure. Date and place to be set according to participants’ schedules. Attendance is required. Location TBA. B. Minimum Assignments to Be Completed Before the seminar begins on July 7 1) Readings – Perspectives about Mondragón a. From Textbooks: --McLeod: Prologue, Introduction and Chapters 1-5. --Whyte and Whyte: Preface and Chapters 1-2, 4. b. From ERES System --The Mondragon Model. Barker J. A. --Practical Lessons from Mondragón. Cheney, G.
--Mondragón: A For-Profit Organization that Embodies Catholic Social Thought. Herrera, D. --Mondragón: The Role and Significance of Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta: The Mondragón Co-operative Corporation. Mathews, R. --Poetic Transcription of Mondragón Interviews. Herrera, D. c. To be supplied in Mondragón --Ormaechea, J. M. (1993). The Mondragón Cooperative Experience. Aretxabaleta, (Guipuzkoa), Spain: Otalora. Pp.12-28. 2) One Visit to the Mondragon Website (http://www.mcc.es/ing/index.asp) Read at least: 1. Co-operativism The Mondragon Cooperative Experience Business Culture Basic Principles, The Mission, Corporate Values, Basic Cooperative Objectives and General Policies. 2. Frequently Asked Questions – This material will contribute to the understanding of the textbooks and assigned Readings 3) Identification of a Tentative Theme for the assigned paper based on Readings, visit to the Website and personal interests C. Additional Required** and Recommended Readings to Be Completed Anytime Before Writing Final Paper The Required Readings** invite us to explore and reflect on the implications of the Mondragón model in the broader context of organizations at large. They furthermore expand our horizons to the impact of participatory and democratic cooperative organizations in various economic and social environments. Recommended Readings are more specific in their contents, for those participants interested in a corporate, management, leadership, value-based and/or non-profit organizational perspectives. 1) Reflections and Conclusions about Mondragón from Various Authors a. From Textbooks: **Reflections: All chapters **McLeod: Chapter 8 **Whyte and Whyte: Chapters 19-21 b. From ERES System **Mondragón and Reimagining Future Society. Morrison, R. 2) Contextual Readings From ERES System or websites a. U.S.A-Related Context About Collaborative Workplaces **Cooperation works! Nadeau, E. G. & Thompson, D. J. **Ownership Matters. Howard, T. **Putting Democracy to Work. A Practical Guide for Starting and Managing Worker-Owned Businesses. Adams, F. T. & Hansen, G.
**How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead. Stayer, R. Cooperative businesses in the United States. A 2005 snapshot http://www.coopmonth.coop/download_files/economicimpact.final.pdf b. The Larger Contexts **Co-operative Purpose, Values and Management into the 21st Century (1995) by Dr. Peter Davis, University of Leicester, England. http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/icic/orgs/ica/pubs/review/vol-88-2/7.html **Ecological Democracy. Morrison. R. **The Ownership Solution. Toward a Shared Capitalism for the 21st Century. Gates, J. Action Plan for Actualization of Co-operative Identity (1997) – Part I only. International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/icic/def-hist/gen-info/Action-Plan-for-Actualization-ofCo-oper1.html. Blood, Sweat and Tears. The Evolution of Work. Donkin, Reell Cooperative Governance: governance structures, processes, and dynamics of cooperative organizations. (2003). Mischa Eckart, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. http://www.stud.unisg.ch/~meckart/cooperative/prop_disp.pdf Future of Cooperatives. A corporate perspective (1999) by Bengt Holmstrom, Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://www.pellervo.fi/finncoop/material/holmstrom.pdf How Nonprofit and Economy Can co-exist: A Cooperative Perspective (2005) by Yair Levi, CIRCOM, Israel. http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/info/theory/yairica05.pdf How the International Cooperative Alliance Contributes to the Aims of the United Nations. http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/icic/orgs/ica/un/contribute.html Laborem Exercens, “Traditional Organizations” and the Democratic Mondragón model. Herrera, D. D. Deliver final paper to the instructor by Monday August 17th . Either place paper on instructor’s mailbox at SOLES mailroom or deliver to: Attn: Dr. David Herrera Ahlers Center for International Business IPJ 241 University of San Diego 5998 Alcalá Park San Diego, CA 92110 E. Final Session Sharing of final papers through participants’ presentations will be made at a 3-hour session held at USD. Date and place to be set according to participants’ schedules. Location TBA.
References for ERES Readings Adams, F. T. & Hansen, G. B., Revised Edition. (1992). Putting democracy to work. A practical guide for starting and managing worker-owned businesses. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Barker, J. A. (1997). “The Mondragón model. A new pathway for the twenty-first century” in The Organization of the future. In Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M. & Beckhard, R. (Eds.). The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Cheney, G. (1999). Values at work: Employee participation meets market pressure at Mondragón. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Donkin, R. (2001). Blood, sweat and tears. The evolution of work. New York: TEXERE LLC. Gates, J. (1998). The ownership solution. Toward a shared capitalism for the 21st century. Reading, MA: Perseus Books. Herrera, D. (2000). Poetic Transcription of Mondragón Interviews. Assigned paper for Advanced Qualitative Analysis course in the USD Leadership Studies Doctorate program. Unpublished. Herrera, D. (2002). Laborem Exercens, “Traditional organizations” and the democratic Mondragón model.” In Work as key to the social question. The great social and economic transformations and the subjective dimension of work. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana Herrera, D. (2004). “Mondragón: A For-Profit Organization That Embodies Catholic Social Thought in Review of Business Journal, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St John’s University, Vol. 25 (1), Winter 2004. Also available in encyclicalbook form as “Mondragón: A Paradigm of Justice and Solidarity at the Workplace.” in Naughton, M. & Rumpza, S. (Eds.). (2005). Business as a calling: Interdisciplinary essays on the meaning of business from the Catholic social tradition. E-book: www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/publications/businessasacalling. Howard, T. (Spring 1999). Ownership matters. Reprinted from Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures. Issue #9. Mathews, R. (1999). Jobs of our own: Building a stake-holder society. Alternatives to the market and the state. Annandale, Australia: Pluto Press. Morrison, R. (1991). We build the road as we travel. Mondragón, a cooperative social system. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers. Morrison. R. (1995). Ecological democracy. Boston, MA: South End Press. Nadeau, E. G. & Thompson, D. J. (1996). Cooperation works! How people are using cooperative action to rebuild communities and revitalize the economy. Rochester, MN: Lone Oak Press, Ltd. Stayer, R. (November-December 1990) How I learned to let my workers lead. Harvard Business Review Executive Summaries.
Appendix Sample of lectures, visits and activities in Mondragón, Spain* (2008) Lectures --Introductory video at the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (MCC) headquarters --Economic/political context of MCC as a global company in Spain and in the world --Financial statistics and update --Historical highlights of MCC --MCC’s Corporate Management Model
--Ownership and governance --Organizational structure --Caja Laboral Bank – financial strategies and operations --Participation Process in Decision Making --Internal operation of a participatory enterprise --The ten basic Mondragón principles --Mondragon Values --A practical case: day-to-day management of a participatory enterprise --Cooperation vs. competition (the “X/Y” game) Site visits --SAIOLAN – “Incubation” centre for entrepreneurial projects --ALECOP -- industrial enterprise designed for university students to learn a trade, participate in governance and management of the enterprise and finish a college degree --Caja Laboral Bank headquarters --IKERLAN -- Technological Research Centre --An MCC manufacturing facility --Polytechnic School of Engineering -- The original campus of Mondragón University --Irakasle Eskola – School of Education campus *Lectures and visits vary according to the profile of the group Social and cultural activities --Social gathering with members of the faculty from MCC at Hotel Mondragón --Tour of Mondragón – post office, market, cybercafé, restaurants, etc --Visit to Arantzatzu, a monastery in the mountains --Dinner in a "txoko" (Basque club) with local members at Oñati, a medieval town --Visit to Guggenheim museum in Bilbao** --Visit to San Sebastian, a beach resort town close to the French border** **These two activities are offered the weekend before the seminar. They are not part of the course and are not required