Stock ownership and work motivation

Ownership creates such a strong commitment to work that it is difficult to understand why the subject has not received more attention in the theory, practice, and research of leadership and management. Although it has not received the attention its deserves, in fairness, it has not been completely ignored. Especially in recent years, when the stock markets were booming, more attention was given to the manner in which ownership can build incredible wealth for some particularly fortunate people. The idea of making employees owners of company stock is not new. Henry Sturgis Dennison and the manner in which he shared ownership to preserve the Dennison Manufacturing Company as a family business for more than a century may best exemplify an appreciation for the motivational power of ownership.