One of the companies profiled recently went through an internal challenge to its ownership culture which could have resulted in the ultimate dissolution of the business enterprise. By traditional standards, the company was healthy, vibrant, and one of the most successful in its industry. But because of rapid expansion brought about by its own success, the company's management system was not keeping pace with internal and external pressures. The core values of the company were being forgotten and the ownership culture was disappearing. People were beginning to pull in different directions, not working as a team, but as divided individuals. Fortunately, management and nonmanagement employee-owners joined together to correct the situation. Going back to its ownership principles and applying them to the company's future growth strategies, the company is rebuilding its corporate culture to reinforce its astonishing success as a business enterprise.

This incident highlights an important point. Every culture, whether of a country or a company, embodies certain principles and values which are commonly accepted by the people within that culture. Where the principles and values of a culture are contradictory, divisive or dehumanizing, the institutional structures through which they are realized will generate conflict, weakening the system as a whole. It is not enough to merely implement the mechanisms and programs of expanded capital ownership. Without true understanding and common commitment to universal principles and the values of a genuine ownership culture, neither companies nor countries will long respect the dignity and rights of their people. Without a unifying and moral system, institutions and societies will eventually collapse from within.