Over the last few years we have been practicing democratic governance at Frappe. While this is not perfect, we believe that we have come a long way in making it a genuine democracy. What started out as a way to engage a remote first company during COVID has now become a full set of rules and conventions on how to take decisions and manage a company in a democratic manner. We believe that it is working for us. All members show high degree of ownership, drive for mastery and happiness over their work. The company is financially sustainable and thriving. We believe it is now time to share this with the world.

My own introduction to democratic governance was via democratic schooling. There is an entire movement of schools trying to practice a democratic way of life. My partner and I even started a democratic school for our children. The idea behind democracy is that power rests with the “people” who constitute the system, not a few people who run things. Those who are living in a messy democracy like India might lament at this. “The people are stupid and selfish. Politicians are corrupt. They only care for their own selves or their communal affiliation but not the entire country.” Democracy is messy in India because the people are so diverse and their needs are also diverse. On the bright side, there is strong resistance when people’s rights are being overturned by the state. This makes things slow but just.

Companies are much smaller in that sense and the people are self selected. The fact that everyone gets a stable pay-check ensures that they have to contribute in return. The theory then, is that a democratic company not only is more moral (as it believes in distribution of power) but also robust and has the potential to out-perform companies that are run where power is restricted to a small set of people. And we want Frappe to be a living proof of this.

The reason we are doing this event is that we often hear from people that they find this concept very fascinating. I think people sense that we have something interesting going on. We believe that too. Working at Frappe feels very “natural”. There are no un-necessary rules. People pick their work and pay. Most important decisions and expenses are voted on. We even have a Constitution - a document that lays out the rules of the game.

We genuinely feel it is time for us to share this with the world and make them a part of our journey. Working in a democratic setup feels like we are fighting all the time against convention, and it would be great to form a tribe. We would love to invite everyone who feels they might enjoy this kind of work.

The first ever Democracy at Work Conference will be held in Mumbai on August ‘23. Click here to register.