Offered By

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

About this Course

3,232 recent views

In this course, you will learn about a well-researched tool for building a more equitable economy: “employee ownership.” You will learn what it is, how it differs from traditional business ownership models, and the forms it can take. You will learn how employee ownership can share wealth and profits with employees--while making businesses more productive. You will learn what the research shows about the benefits of this tool for employees, retiring business owners, and the economy.
Whatever your interest in the topic, you’ll find information here that you can use.  If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, you will learn why employee ownership could be a solution that benefits you and your employees. If you are an employee of a business, you will learn how you could gain an ownership stake in the business and what that would mean. If you are a student, this course is relevant to numerous fields including human resources management, strategy, entrepreneurship, organizations, history, economics, community economic development, labor studies, sociology, and more. If you are simply someone interested in tested real-world solutions to economic inequality, or concerned about social justice, this course is for you as well.  

By the end of the course, you will know key questions to ask to determine whether employee ownership may be suitable for your workplace.

This course was developed by the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing with support from the Beyster Foundation for Enterprise Development.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

No previous background is required.

Approx. 15 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

What you will learn

How businesses can be designed to share ownership and profits with employees.
New options for business succession.
Facts about wealth inequality.

Skills you will gain

Business Transformation
Business development
Collaboration
Leadership And Management
Entrepreneurship

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

No previous background is required.

Approx. 15 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Adria Scharf, PhD

Director of Education and Collaborations for the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations

458 Learners

1 Course

Joseph R. Blasi

J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

School of Management and Labor Relations

458 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

What is Employee Ownership?

In this course, you will learn about a well-researched tool for building a more equitable economy: “employee ownership.” You will learn what employee ownership is, how it differs from traditional business ownership models, and the forms it can take. You will learn how employee ownership can share wealth and profits with employees--while making businesses more productive. In the first week of the course, you will learn about how businesses are commonly owned. By the end of the first week, you will understand how employee ownership differs from common ownership models...and you will be able to name three relevant economic trends. Find links to more resources by clicking "Download" below the videos in this lesson. Let's get started.

4 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 50 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes

12 videos

Welcome and Course Introduction (Adria Scharf, Director of Education and Collaborations for the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing)4mHow Business Ownership Usually Works: Ownership Models in Business (Adria Scharf)7mWhat Is Employee Ownership?3mWhere is Employee Ownership Found? (Adriane Clomax, Research Fellow)7mGreetings from the Founders of Two Companies (Tracy Till and Jarret Schlaff)3mThree Trends (Adria Scharf)3mWealth Inequality "By the Numbers" Animation3mThe Racial Wealth Gap (Adriane Clomax)1mReflections on Community Wealth Building (Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Professor, John Jay College)4mWhere Do Most Employee Owned Firms Come From? (Joseph Blasi, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing)5mHow Can Regular Employees Buy a Business? (Joseph Blasi)3mA Stunning Set of Statistics: The "Silver Tsunami" (Joseph Blasi)3m

5 readings

In Our Own Words: Video Clips30mVisual Guides to ESOPs and Worker Cooperatives20mDefining Wealth15mRecommended Readings (optional)45mFive Reasons Why Business Owners Sell to Employees (Required Reading)30m

3 practice exercises

"What is Employee Ownership?" Quiz (you have unlimited attempts)30m"What is Wealth"? Quiz15m"Silver Tsunami" Quiz10m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Employee Ownership: Types and Traditions

Next we look more closely at four specific types of employee ownership: the Employee Stock Ownership Plan or ESOP, the worker cooperative, equity compensation, and the employee ownership trust. We will examine how these types of employee ownership work, how they differ from one another, and their prevalence. Then we will dive deep into understanding the historic roots of modern employee ownership. By the end of this module, you will have acquired a basic understanding of four key types of employee ownership. You will be able to visualize how several companies are successfully sharing ownership with employees. And you will understand how some ideas supporting employee ownership and profit-sharing trace back to the earliest founding of the United States, while the cooperative tradition has roots in Black and marginalized community experiences. Throughout this module, we will learn from several different scholars and experts.

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 57 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

8 videos

Introduction to Types of Employee Ownership (Adria Scharf)5mEmployee Stock Ownership Plans (Corey Rosen, Founder of the National Center for Employee Ownership)6mWorker Cooperatives (Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of US Federation of Worker Cooperatives)10mEquity Compensation (Corey Rosen)7mEmployee Ownership Trusts (Christopher Michael, Managing Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing)5mFounding Traditions in the United States (Joseph Blasi, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing))8mWorker Ownership and the Black Cooperative Tradition (Jessica Gordon Nembhard)5mOptional Video: Historical Evolution of Employee Ownership (Joseph Blasi)7m

4 readings

Profiles of Five ESOP Companies30mProfiles of Two Worker Cooperatives20mTypes of Employee Ownership: How They Work20mGlobal Case Studies30m

2 practice exercises

"Types of Employee Ownership" Quiz30m"Historical Traditions" Quiz30m

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

What the Research Shows: Key Takeaways

Scholars have generated an enormous amount of evidence suggesting that employee ownership can strengthen firm performance, survival, and job stability, improve employee economic well-being, and address wealth inequality. In this module, you will learn some of the most important research findings, findings that are relevant to real-world practice. By the end of this module, you will understand several important takeaways from the research.

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 49 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Three Major Takeaways from Decades of Research (Douglas Kruse, Associate Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing)6mEmployee Ownership and Worker Wealth (Adria Scharf)8mWorker Ownership and Unions (Sanjay Pinto, Co-director of the Project on Unions and Worker Ownership at the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing)6mNew Research on Workers of Color in ESOPs (Adriane Clomax)2mFirst National Study of Individuals in Worker Cooperatives (Laura Schlachter)5mBenefits of Worker Cooperatives: Productivity, Leadership Development, Reinvestment (Jessica Gordon Nembhard)5mRecommendations for Implementing Equity Compensation Programs (William Castellano, Professor of Human Resource Management, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations)7mCreating Mutual Gains: Stock Options and Diversity (Joo Hun Han, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations)3mSummary of the Research Updates (Adria Scharf)2m

3 readings

Recommended Reading: Studies Cited in Videos (Optional)45mRecommended Reading: Studies Cited in Videos (Optional)10mRecommended Reading: Studies Cited in Videos (Optional)10m

2 practice exercises

"Research" Quiz15m"Research on Cooperatives and Equity Compensation" Quiz15m

Week4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Why and How We Became Employee Owned

Welcome to the final part of the course. This section introduces basic information about implementing two forms of employee ownership, the ESOP and the worker cooperative. The two company founders who you met earlier will share more about how they adopted employee ownership. Tracy Till is co-founder of a company that became an ESOP. Jarret Schlaff co-founded a worker cooperative. Both will tell you why their business became employee owned, and how they and their colleagues did it. Both will describe important steps in the process and lessons they learned along the way. We have included links to optional, supplemental, instructional resources. By the end of this portion of the course, you will know much more about how one business owner sold the business she co-owned to employees through an ESOP, and how a different organization became a worker cooperative. You will take away a basic understanding of the key steps in the process, knowledge of important questions to ask, and resources for finding more detailed guidance.

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 50 min), 2 readings, 3 quizzes

10 videos

Why and How We Sold Our Business to the Employees through an ESOP (Tracy Till, co-founder of ESOP company)7mLessons Learned: The Team of Experts (Legal Advisor, Trustee, Valuation Firm) (Tracy Till)6mLessons Learned: The Importance of Communications (Tracy Till)5m(Optional Video) Reflection on the Cost, and Tax Benefits, of Our ESOP (Tracy Till)4mImportant Questions to Ask First (Jennifer Briggs)4mWhy and How We Started a Worker Cooperative (Jarret Schlaff, co-founder of worker cooperative)6mLessons Learned Starting a Worker Cooperative (Jarret Schlaff)4mImportant Questions to Ask Before Considering a Cooperative (Esteban Kelly)5mWhat You Can Do: Some Examples of Ways to Support Worker Ownership (Esteban Kelly)3mConclusion (Adria Scharf)1m

2 readings

Optional: Resource for Implementation1hOptional: A Partial List of Nonprofit and Educational Organizations for Guidance10m

2 practice exercises

"Implementation" Quiz10mFinal Assessment1h

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Build employee skills, drive business results

Discover Coursera for Business

Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool

Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain