AIESEC International Gains Worldwide Recognition for Democracy in the Workplace
ROTTERDAM, March 6, 2007—AIESEC International has been recognized as one of 34 companies in the “Worldwide Award for the Most Democratic Workplaces” sponsored by WorldBlu, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business specializing in organizational democracy. The announcement came as part of the first Democracy in the Workplace Day, sponsored by the WorldBlu, Inc. organization. Businesses and non-profits from the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Russia made the premiere list, representing industries such as technology, telecommunications, media, manufacturing, and retail with a combined total of nearly $3 billion in annual sales. |  |
AIESEC International sits on the list with organizations such as Great Harvest Bread Company, GE Aviation’s Durham Engine Facility, Honest Tea, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Equal Exchange, Linden Lab (makers of the Second Facility Life virtual reality world), Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, SRC Holdings Corporation, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, i-Free, and Threadless.
Organizations from the for-profit, non-profit, non-governmental and government sectors with five or more employees that have been in operation for a minimum of three years could apply for the WorldBlu award. Employees completed a survey evaluating their organization’s practice of ten democratic principles such as decentralization, accountability, choice and integrity on a leadership level, individual level and systems and processes level.
AIESEC International scored high on practices such as accountability & individual and collective, demonstrated by their weekly Monday morning meetings that bring together the entire office, physically or virtually, to share their priorities for the week and hold themselves accountable to the rest of the team if they are unfulfilled. Fairness and dignity was another practice AIESEC International naturally scored high on—their leadership team of 21 people is made of up 16 different nationalities from across four continents and equal in gender representation. There are also systems and budgets in place to support the diversity of applicants, which is often challenged by lengthy visa procedures and expensive travel.
WorldBlu has also declared March 6 “Democracy in the Workplace Day” to celebrate these organizations and the positive ripple effect their workplace practices are having on increasing freedom and peace in the world. Individuals are invited to use this day to examine how their workplaces can adopt and further mature their practice of democracy.
Please click here to see the complete list of WorldBlu Most Democratic Workplaces 2007.
About AIESEC
AIESEC is the international student platform for young people to discover and develop their potential. Present in over 800 universities and encompassing over 22,000 members, AIESEC is one of the world’s largest student organizations. Focusing on leadership development, AIESEC offers over 5000 leadership opportunities each year to facilitate the Global Internship Program, which sees the exchange of over 4000 students each year to live and work in another country. AIESEC is an organization that activates leaders, creating a network of global change agents that have a positive impact on society.
WorldBlu, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based leadership and business design studio specializing in organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership. Founded in 2003, WorldBlu works with CEOs and executive teams to design, develop, and lead the most successful democratic companies in the world. WorldBlu’s approach is principle-based, freedom-centered, and results-driven. For more information, visit the WorldBlu website at www.worldblu.
