Corporate governance, democracy and voice

The perceived importance of Corporate Governance has grown in recent years and two key concepts that have been associated with good governance are transparency and accountability (Werther and Chandler 2006:77). Much of the research in this area has focused on ‘traditional’ corporate models with limited liability, boards of directors, and shareholders. Takala (2007:4) called for a more radical approach to studying business practice and the role of business within a wider society in order to challenge the dominant discourse. This paper responds to that challenge by exploring the relationship between business ethics, corporate social responsibility and governance, but rather than taking the dominant functionalist approach, the focus is on a more critical conception of organisation. Based on a study of a number of firms with radical or alternative governance structures I argue that alongside transparency and accountability a key feature of socially responsible business practice is a transformation of power structures. In this way governance is seen as a mechanism through which organisations can enact citizenship behaviours, and rather than be subordinated to the organisations interests, employees’ diverse interests can be given voice through their democratic engagement with work