this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
1769 points (96.9% liked)

Memes

45589 readers
1437 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Fried_out_Kombi@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It's why I think worker-owned coops should be more common. Research shows that they're a more resilient business model than hierarchical businesses. I think it's because they can largely avoid the principle-agent problem, wherein executives and investors act on behalf of the company, but their personal incentives do not necessarily align with the company's. For example, a CEO has a vested interest in pumping up profitability in the short term, even if it's by slashing R&D funding and alienating customers long-term, so they can get nice numbers to pad their resumé. Likewise, investors just want their investment back.

With a coop, overall control of the company's decisions is guided more by the long-term health of the company, as that's what is best for the workers. It aligns incentives, avoiding the perverse incentives that cause hierarchical businesses to make unsustainable, short-term business decisions.