Mondragon: Could Something Like This Be in Our Future?

Abstract

My first visit to Mondragon was in 1979. I had been searching the globe for years for a modern company that had moved beyond the common wisdom of the day. My initial reaction to Mondragon was utter amazement. I had never expected to find such a mature and comprehensive example. They are now the largest corporation in the Basque Country and the seventh largest in Spain. They are also the world’s largest worker cooperative. However, they are different from the worker cooperatives of the past in one very significant way: their highest priority is not the workers; it is the common good of us all.