Singaporean company named among world’s most democratic companies

Singapore, April 12th, 2012 – WorldBlu, a company specialising in organisational democracy, today announced Tickled Media as the first Singaporean operated company to be certified as a globally recognized democratic workplace.

Companies become eligible for a spot on the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ only after its employees complete an assessment evaluating their organisations practice of the WorldBlu 10 Principles of Organisational Democracy™, with an overall combined score of 3.5/5 or higher. The assessment was developed based on a decade of research into what makes a world-class democratic company. Organisations from the for-profit and non-profit sectors that have been in operation for at least one full year and have five or more employees can apply for WorldBlu certification.

“WorldBlu is very impressed with Tickled Media’s dedication to democracy in the workplace combined with its outstanding year-on-year revenue growth,” comments WorldBlu Founder and CEO, Traci Fenton. “Tickled Media is the first Singapore company making it to the WorldBlu List of the Most Democratic Workplaces and we hope it will inspire more organisations in the country to take inspiration and leadership from employees.”

Since they helped transition their company into being a democratic workplace a year ago, Tickled Media, the publishing house behind LiveJournal Asia and theAsianparent.com has seen revenues spike 800 percent. CEO, Roshni Mahtani, explains, “Tickled Media’s democratic practices have made its employees happier. They want to come to work and they take ownership for what they do.”

47 other for-profit and non-profit organizations from across the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Malaysia, Haiti, India, New Zealand, and South Africa made the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ 2012 from a diverse range of industries including, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, services and energy. The organisations ranged in size from five to 90,000 employees representing over $17 billion in combined annual revenue.

Being a democratic workplace

A democratically managed workplace focuses as much on giving power to the people as it does on smart business strategy, which eventually  directly impacts the bottom-line.

Manchester, NH-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) leader Dyn (pronounced ‘dine’) solicited ideas from their employees through an internal version of Pinterest before moving into their new 25,000 square foot facility. In the last year since fine tuning democratic management, they have increased annual revenue from $10 million to $17 million, opened offices on the West Coast and in Europe, and more than doubled their employee count.

“Businesses that are open to organisational democracy are usually nimble, resourceful and actively maximizing their human potential,” comments Kim Jordan, CEO of Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewery, which has over 430 employees and boasts a 97% retention rate.

Mike Ferretti, CEO of Great Harvest Bread Company, a six-time WorldBlu List awardee company with over 230 “freedom-franchises” operating in the US says, “We’re into our third decade in business and truly believe the democratic principles we follow have kept Great Harvest relevant and agile.”

“DaVita is honoured to once again be recognized as the only healthcare and FORTUNE 500® company on WorldBlu’s List of Most Democratic Workplaces,” said Kent Thiry, Chairman and CEO of DaVita. “At DaVita, we are proud to be a community first and a company second.”

Best practices in organizational democracy

WorldBlu-certified organisations make use of a variety of unique practices that are distinctly democratic, give power to their people, and contribute to profitability, high performance and employee engagement.

At Zappos.com, headquartered in Henderson, NV, there are “Skip Meetings” held twice a year where everyone has the opportunity to interact with their manager’s manager. They share ideas, feedback and solutions, providing a direct voice-of-the-people perspective on how to drive positive change in their departments.

At Tickled Media a team “lunch and share” session is held every Friday where one employee gets a chance to share their thoughts on their choice topic and the rest listen, relax, and enjoy good food. The company also goes on yearly holiday destination retreats to enhance the company’s sense of unity and provide an opportunity for anyone to voice their opinions or suggest improvements.

Rather than fear in the workplace, WD-40 Company’s CEO, Garry Ridge, believes they are in the “memories business” and has built a culture around creating positive lasting happy memories for employees, consumers, and shareholders.

View the full WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™ 2012 and read more unique best practices from this year’s list at http://worldblu.com/awardee-profiles/2012.php.

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About WorldBlu

WorldBlu has offices throughout the US and UK and specializes in organisational democracy and freedom-centred leadership, with organisational and individual members in over 70 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, WorldBlu’s vision is to see one billion people working in free and democratic workplaces. For more information about WorldBlu, visit the website at http://www.worldblu.com.

About Tickled Media

Tickled Media is a Singapore-based digital publishing house that operates LiveJournal, theAsianparent.com and Kidlander.com in several Asian markets. Tickled Media also handles innovative online campaigns for both local and multi-national companies in the region. It is supported by Tigris Capital Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based media investment fund. For more information, please visit www.tickledmedia.com.sg