Last Monday (16 June), our Applied Marketing Research Group hosted what turned out to be a truly enlightening half-day event at Bristol Business School. The topic—”Confronting alienation: What can we learn from employee ownership?”—struck a chord with delegates, and I’m excited to share some of the key insights from our latest research.
The Problem We’re Tackling
Workplace alienation isn’t just an academic concept—it’s a real issue affecting countless employees across the UK. When people feel disconnected from their work, lacking control or purpose, it impacts not just their wellbeing but also organisational performance. This is what drove my colleague Ed Little (Associate Head of Department for Postgraduate Marketing and Events Programmes) and I to investigate whether employee ownership could offer a solution.
What We Discovered: The Five ‘Cs’
Our research reveals that co-ownership can indeed reduce workplace alienation, but it works through five critical mechanisms—what we call the five ‘Cs’:
- Control: Giving employees genuine say in decision-making
- Care: Creating an environment where people feel valued and supported
- Congruence: Aligning individual values with organisational purpose
- Cohesion: Building stronger team bonds and collaboration
- Community: Fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity
These aren’t just theoretical concepts—we’ve seen them play out in real organisations, creating more engaged and satisfied workforces.
However, our research also uncovered something crucial that organisations need to understand: employee ownership isn’t a magic bullet. When implemented poorly or without careful consideration, it can actually increase alienation for some individuals. This finding challenges the assumption that employee ownership is universally beneficial and highlights the need for thoughtful, strategic implementation.
Learning from the Experts
The event brought together some remarkable speakers who brought these concepts to life. James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association, shared invaluable insights from across the sector.
Panellists included Richard Gosden from the John Lewis Partnership (the UK’s largest employee-owned business) and Katie Scott, MD of Interactive Learning & Development (an employee-owned SME).
Research with Purpose in Action
This work exemplifies what we mean by “Research with purpose” here at UWE—one of our RISE pillars. We’re not just publishing papers; we’re actively helping organisations create work environments that maximise employee satisfaction, self-realisation, job meaningfulness, and performance.
The response has been incredibly encouraging. Several organisations that attended have already invited us to conduct ‘pre-post’ studies to help them reduce employee alienation in their own workplaces. This is exactly the kind of real-world impact we strive for.
What’s Next?
The feedback from delegates was overwhelmingly positive. Samuel Moles from Stephens Scown LLP captured it perfectly: “Brilliant new research from the Business School at UWE that shows employee ownership can address workplace alienation. Really valuable insight for businesses. Thanks Mario and Ed. More research please!”
And more research is exactly what we plan to deliver. The first stage of our study has been published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management, but this is just the beginning. We’re excited to work with forward-thinking organisations to explore how these insights can be applied in practice.
The Bigger Picture
As we face ongoing challenges around employee engagement and workplace satisfaction, understanding the nuanced relationship between ownership structures and alienation becomes increasingly important. Our research suggests that when done right, employee ownership can be a powerful tool for creating more fulfilling work experiences—but the emphasis must be on doing it right.
If you’re interested in learning more about our research or exploring how these findings might apply to your organisation, I’d love to hear from you. After all, the best research happens when academia and practice come together to solve real problems.
Professor Mario Vafeas is Professor of Marketing at Bristol Business School, UWE Bristol. His research focuses on value co-creation, customer experience, and workforce dynamics.