Do you value your freedom at work? If you do, there’s a very good reason why. The right kind (and amount) of freedom provides individuals, teams and companies huge benefits. According to various studies, when organizations give employees control of their schedule (flex time, telecommuting options), as well as a sense of autonomy to take risks and make their own decisions, the result is unequivocal: increased employee productivity, happier and more engaged teams, and successful, profitable businesses.

Of course, defining “freedom” and getting the balance right is the trick here. As Americans embark on their yearly celebration of independence (and fireworks), here are eight articles that look at the role freedom plays in the workplace.

Searching for Freedom at Work

This Fortune article addresses five types of freedom that need to exist to build a thriving company.

With Great Freedom Comes Great Profitability

This Inc.com article looks at low-freedom vs. high-freedom businesses and why one of these is 20 times more likely to have long-term success than the other.

Richard Branson on Giving Your Employees Freedom

Virgin Group owner and business magnate Richard Branson writes about how and why he gives his companies’ CEOs and managers freedom to run the businesses as they see fit. From Entrepreneur.

How employee freedom delivers better business

We’ve heard about Google’s famous 20 percent time. While this perk is no longer widely practiced, this CNN article is a look back at how Google gave employees their freedom to build a giant company, according to this CNN article.

Proof That Giving Your Employees More Freedom Makes Them More Productive

This Business Insider article looks at research on how flex time effects employees’ level of happiness and productivity.

The Compelling Case for Giving Employees More Freedom

This Inc.com article looks at freedom as “autonomy” and how one company thrived by allowing employees to act on their creativity and intuition. Includes five parameters to create an autonomous work culture.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Employee Empowerment

This Livestrong article points out the pros and cons of democratizing the workplace.

Tiptoeing Toward Freedom

This Columbia Business School article focuses on how managers should dole out choice and flexibility to gain the respect of their team members and be effective.

What do you think about freedom in the workplace—necessary, over-rated, impossible?