It’s that certain ‘something’.

The Partnership Spirit

The John Lewis Partnership ‘Spirit’ is a culmination of all the things that make our culture so special. Our democratic principles aim to bring some of this uniqueness to life:

“We champion the opinion of all in service of our purpose and our democratic principles.

We encourage a spirit of ownership; a contribution of knowledge, inviting experiences and ideas to collectively contribute to positive change.

We use our Partnership model as a force for good.”

Not many companies have a written constitution. Ours does, for two reasons. The first is historical. The Partnership exists today because of the extraordinary vision and ideals of its Founder, John Spedan Lewis. He believed an ‘industrial democracy’ where employees shared knowledge, power and profit was a better form of business. That vision was set out in a written Constitution – a framework to define the Partnership’s principles and the way it should operate.

The constitution contains two key parts related to the spirit of the Partnership; it’s distinctive character and democratic vitality. These must be developed and coveted in order for the Partnership to remain distinctive and true to the business Spedan created. Success for the experiments means both commercial success and the development of these four important words, it’s not an optional extra. 

The essence of our distinctive character is about the recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of every person. Respect for the equality of all persons. Taking account of majority opinion and an insistence upon listening to minority opinion. Acceptance of the necessity of compromise; and Insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual freedom.

Democratic Vitality is our culture of engagement, empowerment and trust. We all, especially Leaders, share knowledge and encourage, listen to and act on opinion. We all use the power of our experiences, ideas and opinion to create a better business.”

That’s the certain ‘something’ you’ll find we all have. And it’s something we’re very proud of.