Voluntary co-determination produces sustainable competitive advantage

Abstract

The importance of firm-specific knowledge for a company’s sustainable competitive advantage is well established in the knowledge-based theory of the firm. However, the impact of corporate governance design on firm-specific knowledge investments is underexplored. We assess existing co-determination systems in Europe and their impact on firm performance; then we discuss voluntary co-determination as a new corporate governance design that fosters firm-specific knowledge investments, intrinsic work motivation, efficient monitoring, and board diversity while lowering transaction costs. Our analysis indicates that shareholders can increase their company’s value by adopting customized co-determination rules.