Loading the next page…
Heirloom Library
Explore trusted sources on employee ownership and democratic governance. Heirloom explains what each source is useful for, so you can follow a guide or look up exactly what you need.
Lookup results
Refine this set without losing your search or current selections.
Counts show each option across the full published Library.
Showing 31 of 140 published resources.
Reset search and filtersNational Center for Employee Ownership
A clear NCEO overview explaining what an EOT is, how it works, why owners choose the model, and how EOTs differ from ESOPs and worker cooperatives.
Mondragon Corporation
Mondragon’s official overview of its cooperative principles, including democratic organization, sovereignty of labor, participation in management, and intercooperation.
National Center for Employee Ownership
NCEO’s ownership culture hub explaining why employee ownership performs best when paired with information-sharing, employee voice, and owner-like thinking.
Aspen Institute
A detailed Aspen Institute case study of Clegg Auto’s transition to an EOT, including employee perspectives, ownership culture, profit sharing, governance voice, and community preservation.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO toolkit hub for companies in the first years after becoming employee-owned, with resources on governance, finance, communications, and culture.
Democracy at Work Institute
A Democracy at Work Institute explainer defining worker cooperatives through shared worker ownership and democratic control.
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
A USFWC collection of short guides and tools on worker co-op fundamentals, including member engagement, boards, structure, decision-making, onboarding, member removal, and meeting templates.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI-hosted AORTA resource outlining a conflict-resolution process that can be used by cooperatives.
International Cooperative Alliance
The International Cooperative Alliance’s official statement of cooperative identity, values, and seven principles, including democratic member control and member economic participation.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI guide to democratic management practices organized around power, information, people, and money, with tools and examples for worker co-ops and democratic workplaces.
Democracy at Work Network
A handbook for creating accountability and evaluation systems in small and medium-sized worker cooperatives.
Aspen Institute
A Rutgers and Aspen Institute research brief summarizing recent evidence on employee ownership, ESOP participation, wealth, job quality, and firm outcomes.
Employee Ownership Association
A UK research report on employee ownership, business performance, engagement, resilience, and organizational practices.
Employee Ownership Association
A UK report on the practices, governance, and cultural conditions that support effective employee ownership.
Rutgers Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership
A benchmark guide summarized by Rutgers CLEO comparing employee-owned company practices across engagement, reward, governance, ownership culture, and social responsibility.
National Center for Employee Ownership
NCEO’s survey tool for measuring how well employees understand and experience ownership culture.
Sociocracy For All
A Sociocracy For All article focused on objections: what they are, why they matter, and how they can improve proposals rather than stop decisions.
School for Democratic Management
A DAWI program and resource hub focused on practical democratic management tools, assessments, activities, and training.
Certified EO
A Certified EO article explaining why ESOP is a technical structure while employee-owned is often the clearer identity for employees, customers, and communities.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO guide to developing and improving ESOP communication committees, with practical advice and case examples.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO communications resource with templates, sample materials, and guidance for explaining ESOPs and financial concepts to employee-owners.
Ownership Works
Ownership Works’ public framing of shared ownership as financial participation paired with ownership culture, engagement, and employee voice.
workers.coop
A worker-co-op-specific code explaining how cooperative principles apply to worker-owned businesses, including governance, membership, work, capital, and participation.
Aspen Institute
An Aspen Institute Job Quality Tools Library entry highlighting tools that help business owners understand ESOPs, worker co-ops, transition financing, and ownership culture.
National Center for Employee Ownership
A detailed NCEO publication on how EOTs work, how they compare to ESOPs, and how companies can structure, finance, govern, and operate after an EOT transition.
The ESOP Association
The ESOP Association’s public overview of ESOPs as tax-qualified retirement plans and broad-based employee ownership structures.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO research summary covering findings on firm performance, employment stability, worker wealth, and employee outcomes.
Democracy at Work Institute
A presentation from USFWC and DAWN advisors covering the basics of worker cooperative governance and management.
The Democracy Collaborative / Project Equity
A research report by Hilary Abell on barriers and success factors for scaling worker cooperatives, including cooperative culture, training, management, capital, and governance.
Democracy at Work Institute
A sample employee and worker-owner handbook template for existing worker cooperatives.
CICOPA / CECOP
CICOPA’s international declaration defining worker cooperatives and the core characteristics of democratic worker ownership.