John Lewis Chairman talks about how employee partnerships can lead to business success

Jan. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- United Kingdom, January 2012 – Nick Clegg’s recent call for the creation of a “John Lewis economy”, encouraging wider share ownership among employees as a means to unlocking growth and increasing productivity, bears testament to the founding principles of one of the UK’s favourite retailers.  In the next issue of the Journal of Strategy and Management (volume 5, issue 1), Mr. Charlie Mayfield, the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, talks to the editors about not only the Partnership’s management philosophy that the happiness of employees is central to the success of business, but the strategies that have helped John Lewis to double its turnover in the last 10 years.

The interview is freely available to read online until the 29 February 2012.  Visit
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1755-425x&volume=5&issue=1
and enter username: johnlewis and password: emerald in the login area at the top of the page.

Charlie Mayfield is the fifth Chairman of John Lewis, having joined the Partnership Board in 2001.  Under his leadership, John Lewis has enjoyed organic growth, pursuing a dynamic business and corporate strategy, and winning such accolades as “Retailer of the Year” in 2011.  In this in-depth interview, Mr. Mayfield discusses his view of “strategy”, and how it is possible to develop an organization that is both commercial – maintaining a leading position in a highly competitive industry – and democratic, giving every Partner [employee] a voice in the business they co-own.

Mr. Mayfield explains, “We have a variety of objectives – around partners, customers, growth, profit, return on invested capital, sales and so on.  The main objective of the John Lewis Partnership is defined by the purpose of the Partnership – the happiness of its members, providing satisfying employment in a successful business and unlocking the potential of partners”.

Abby Ghobadian, interviewer and co-editor of the Journal adds, “Both the Prime Minster and the Leader of Opposition have recently set out their vision for “responsible capitalism”  John Lewis has been practicing “responsible capitalism” since the 1940s flourishing in the process.  Our case study shines light on why John Lewis has succeeded consistently year after year.  This shows that other models of ownership can work effectively and deliver value to a wide group of stakeholders.”

Published by Emerald Group Publishing, the Journal of Strategy and Management is an international journal dedicated to encouraging new thinking and innovative approaches to the study of strategy.  To read the full interview or for further information about the Journal, visit http://www.emeraldinsight.com/jsma.htm

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