Shlomo Getz

Demographic and Environmental Influences on the Diffusion of Changes Among Israeli Kibbutzim, 1990–2001

This study examines the diffusion of 34 innovations among Israels 240 nonreligious kibbutzim from 1990 through 2001. The changes involve transfers of the authority of the general assembly to independent boards of directors and specialized committees or experts, privatization of consumption, and increasing inequality in compensation. We track year-to-year transitions among six relationships toward each innovation: not considering, rejected, discussing, decided to adopt, implementing, and using. Single-year transitions from “not considering” to “using” are relatively rare. Most innovations go through periods of discussion or implementation before being adopted. Innovations face substantial risks of being rejected at every stage. At each stage, acceptance of innovations by other organizations increases the likelihood of acceptance, implementation, and retention. The effects of organizational size and age on innovations are not what classic theories of the “degeneration” of democratic workplaces predict. Recent changes in the kibbutzim appear instead to be an institutionalized response to market shocks.

Antecedents and consequences of the adoption of market-based compensation by Israeli Kibbutzim

This chapter analyzes the antecedents and consequences of transformations that have recently been occurring among Israeli kibbutzim. After serving for nearly a century as some of the worlds best known examples of organizations that distribute resources “from each, according to ability, to each according to need,” most kibbutzim now pay their members differential salaries on the basis of the market value of their work.

From Generation to Generation: Intergenerational Relations in the Kibbutz

The first kibbutzim were established at the beginning of the twenetieth century. This short history allows us to trace the outline of generations. The second generation followed the practices of the founders, but without their ideological dedication. The third generation did not accept the kibbutz lifestyle, and many left. Those who stayed implemented changes, which ensured the continuity of the community, but at the cost of abandoning some original kibbutz values. Since the turn of the century, the youngest generation has been returning, but now to a different kibbutz, one based on principles that meet their needs while ensuring the sustainability of the community.