Resumen de Cooperatives-saviours or gravediggers of capitalism? Critical performativity and the John Lewis Partnership

Bernard Paranque, Hugh Willmott

• The structures of ownership and governance at John Lewis, a major UK employee-owned retailer, have been commended by those who wish to recuperate capitalism and by those who seek to transform it. From a perspective of �critical performativity�, John Lewis is of special interest since it is celebrated as a successful organization and heralded as an alternative to more typical forms of capitalist enterprise. By examining the cooperative elements of the John Lewis structures of ownership and governance, we illuminate a number of issues faced in realizing the principles ascribed to employee-owned cooperatives�notably, with regard to �democratic member control�, �member economic participation� and �autonomy and independence�.hj