What the corporate world can learn from academia

In my last post, I wrote about what academia can learn from the business world. Today, I will discuss the other side of the coin.
First, the business world would do well to take a look at academic governance models, or, more specifically, shared governance models. Shared governance stands for the proposition that decisions in higher education should be made as democratically as possible. This is basically the opposite of a top-down hierarchical model. Shared governance can be cumbersome, so it is not appropriate in all instances, but decisions tend to be better and easier to implement when they are collectively made. This point may seem too obvious to state, but the desire to "call the shots" is simply irresistible to most chief executive officers(including CEOs of higher education institutions), though they may rationalize their edicts from on high in different terms.
Second, the business world would benefit from protecting employees' freedom of expression, in the tradition of academic freedom honored by colleges and universities. When employees are not afraid to say what they really think, the institution is better off. This is not to say that all speech should be protected. Sexual harassment and racist epithets are examples of speech which should be punished, but employees should not be inhibited about disagreeing with their supervisors.
Third, business should provide employees with that unique perquisite of the academic world: the sabbatical. Professors at many universities are provided with paid sabbaticals every seven years. This is, no doubt, a costly benefit, but it yields rewards in re-energized employees, higher morale, and, often, in new insights or innovations that result in new profit opportunities for the employer.