Research Opportunity – The Indiana Center for Employee Ownership  is seeking one or more employee owned companies to participate in a research study investigating the type of governance (Agency or Stewardship) present within the organization.  The study would seek to determine if the type of governance reported by the participants varies by position (management/non-management), tenure, gender, or age.

Background – Prior ESOP research in the US and Scotland, conducted with a single senior leader, has identified that stewardship was the predominate type of governance.  However this data is limited by the perspective of one individual and may not be reflective of the overall organization.

Scope of the Research – Employees of the company(s) participating in the research would complete a short survey requiring less than 5 minutes to complete.  The survey would consist of 18 questions on governance and several additional questions on demographics (position, tenure, gender, age) which are required in order to analyze the data.

Data Collection – Depending on the organization, the survey could be administered via electronic means (an email and internet access would be required), or via a paper survey distributed by postal mail, the company (email addresses would be required), or performed on site.

Confidentiality – The information provided by you or your employees during the study will remain confidential.  The raw data collected from the survey instruments will be held by the researcher.  The summary data from the research study will be provided to the organizations participating in the study. The results from the study may be published; however, the names of companies and individual employees participating in the study will not be identified.  Additionally, you may withdraw participation at any time.

Potential Risk – The risk of participation in this study is minimal, or similar to that of everyday life.

Benefits – There are no direct benefits to the individual from this research.  Benefits to the ESOP community may include a greater understanding of the level of stewardship within employee-owned companies and how stewardship may vary within employee owner demographics of position, tenure, gender, and age.

Contact – if you are interested in participating or learning more about this research study, please contact the Principal Investigator  Dr. Van Doel at rick.vandoel@inceo.org.