José María Arizmendiarrieta: the company at the service of the human being"Cooperation is the powerful lever that multiplies our strengths".This is one of the best-known phrases of the Biscayan priest José María Arizmendiarrieta, born in 1915 and founder of the initiative known as the "Mondragon Cooperative Experience". Since the centenary of his birth in 2015, the Church has officially considered him "venerable", following the recognition by the Holy See of the heroicity of his virtues.
Indeed, internal cooperation and inter-cooperation between cooperatives are probably the most important characteristics that distinguish the functioning of cooperative enterprises from conventional enterprises. Internal cooperation would therefore not only be a moral virtue but also an entrepreneurial value, a characteristic of successful enterprises. One of the great current concerns of business managers (and not only among us but also in the rest of the world, to a greater or lesser extent) is to find formulas that allow all the people in the company to become involved in the task of making it competitive so that it can develop in a globalized market.
However, according to various studies conducted in different parts of the world, only 20 % of professionals feel involved with the goals of the organization for which they work. When it comes to identifying the reasons for this disaffection, problems related to the leadership style of managers, who clearly overestimate their contribution, inevitably come to the fore; for example, according to a survey conducted in the United States, 84 % of middle managers and 97 % of executives said they were among the top 10 % of employees in their company in terms of performance.) In contrast, empowerment turns out to be the factor most highly correlated with employee engagement, and accountability has the greatest effect on employee performance.
Interestingly, one of the novel recommendations among the proposals made by some of gurus from management to achieve greater employee involvement turns out to be to "build community" in the company. According to its promoters, doing so "produces a harvest of commitment, capacity and creativity that cannot be extracted from the dry land of bureaucracy". This is based on the definition of a "Mission" worth being involved in, the articulation of open communication and transparent information, and the nurturing of a culture of shared responsibility and freedom to make decisions, as well as mutual respect among employees at all levels. All of these characteristics can be perfectly deduced from the teachings of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
On the other hand, the dispute between the interests of the entrepreneurs and those of the workers takes a back seat when what is at stake is the survival of the company itself. The "class struggle" of the early days of capitalism is being corrected to the extent that there are powerful coinciding interests among all the agents interested in the success of each business project.
Confrontation is giving way to collaboration, which José María Arizmendiarrieta preached not only for cooperative enterprises, but also for the whole of social life.. "Solidarity is the key and even, if you will, the atomic secret called to revolutionize all social life. Collaboration is the secret of true social life and the key to social peace.". This statement is made in the context of a firm conviction: "Collaboration in everything, so that everything is the fruit of the effort and sacrifice of all and the glory is also common."This includes, therefore, the participation of employees in the company's results.
The fantastic development of the companies inspired by the Arizmendiarrieta's thoughts has been, and still is, the subject of study by business experts and social leaders around the world. Even with the weaknesses that are inherent in every human endeavor, they have shown that companies that seek success based on the values of collaboration, solidarity and teamwork are capable of competing even in a global market, where the demand for efficiency is a condition for survival.
But, along with the legitimate pride in the common work accomplished, we would be betraying Arizmendiarrieta's spirit if we were satisfied with the fruits achieved. "There's always one more step to take."is a message that appeals to try to apply the values that have been the reason for its success to other business and social realities.
If Arizmendiarrieta initially attempted to reform the corporation by seeking formulas for participation and collaboration between shareholders, workers and managers, an attempt that proved impossible within the framework of the legislation of the time, it would be coherent to follow his lead and try again to introduce humanist values into conventional companies as well.
On the other hand, educational institutions arising from cooperation (such as some schools) show the effectiveness and efficiency of a model based on cooperation and co-responsibility of all the agents involved in the project. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to delve deeper into the possibilities of long-term development of this model, especially when we are going to live in times in which public resources will be particularly scarce and must be, therefore, exquisitely managed, so that their social use is maximized.
The process of canonization of Arizmendiarrieta that is now underway cannot, therefore, be only a reason for recognition, but also a call to "take up the baton" in order to try to apply, here and now, the values he preached. This would be done, among other ways, by taking initiatives inspired by cooperation in different areas of economic and social life (and perhaps also in the public sector), taking risks and accepting imperfections derived from our human condition, but with the hope of contributing to improve, even modestly, our society, making it fairer and more united.
President of the Arizmendiarrieta Foundation
