Demokrati på arbeidsplassen. Demokratiske val og avgrensingar i den tilsetteeigde verksemda Kantega

Abstract

Democratic enterprises, businesses owned and controlled by employees, have been supported by Marxists, anarchists, social democrats, and democratic theorists for various reasons. The left and anarchists see them as an alternative to state market regulation, promoting bottom-up economic democratization to avoid power concentration seen in 20th-century communist regimes. Democratic theorists justify them instrumentally, suggesting workplace democracy educates citizens and enhances their democratic engagement, and normatively, arguing workers have a moral right to participate in governance. Despite strong arguments, democratic enterprises remain rare compared to conventional businesses. Historically driven by the cooperative movement, worker cooperatives are most common in industrialized Western nations, but research on their internal democracy is sparse and primarily economic. In Norway, worker cooperatives and employee-owned businesses are very uncommon.

A notable exception is Kantega, an IT company founded in 2003 and entirely employee owned. This research thesis explores how democracy is practiced in Kantega through a case study approach, focusing on three key questions: the extent of democracy in Kantega, the evolution of its democratic structure, and the factors influencing this evolution. Utilizing Dahl’s five criteria for a democratic process, this thesis aims to understand Kantega as a democratic entity. The research addresses the theoretical predictions of degeneration theories and participatory democracy theories regarding the sustainability of workplace democracy. This interpretative study uses multiple theories to shed light on Kantega, contributing to understanding democratic enterprises rather than generalizing broader trends. The findings provide insights into the constraints and choices faced by a democratic enterprise within the Norwegian context.

The main findings of the paper are that Kantega has in many respects, deepened their democracy. However, there are important constraints regarding the ownership-form Kantega has chosen.