Founded in 1970, Morning Star is the world’s largest tomato processor. Based in California, it was founded by Chris Rufer, who believed that self-management was the way to go. The company operates without traditional hierarchical roles or titles, instead functioning on a self-management model where employees are treated as professional colleagues with high autonomy and responsibility. At the core of this innovative structure are two fundamental principles: voluntary interactions and commitment honoring. Self-management promotes the theory that employees should not impose their will on others and that all interactions must be voluntary. Employees are expected to honor the commitments they make to others, which fosters trust and mutual respect. So, how do they handle disagreements? When a colleague senses a difference with another colleague, they directly approach that colleague with a request for a private conversation. If they can’t resolve their differences, they may engage the services of a third colleague to provide a fresh perspective. If the difference is still not resolved, a panel of 3-7 people with various perspectives gets involved to provide additional opinions and advice. Only when all of these steps have been followed without resolution does a written report of the incident make its way to the company president, who will issue an ultimate decision.
