What does workplace democracy look like? Governance, Management and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

What does workplace democracy look like?

Governance, Management and Ways Worker Coops Make Decisions

Agenda Review

1. Introductions 2. Team Evaluations 3. Governance 4. Dinner 5. Making Decisions: Who Decides What?

• Definition
• Examples
• Objectives of Governance
• Getting Clarity
• Roles
• Meetings
• Expanding & Connecting
• Things to consider
• Scenarios Workshop
• Governance Matrix Exercise

Team Evaluations

• Share your ratings
• What did you rate similarly? Where did you differ?
• Where is your team strong? Where can your team

improve?

• What is one intervention to strengthen your team?

Definition of Governance

• Governance refers to oversight and decision-making

related to strategic direction, financial planning, and Bylaws - the set of core policies that outline the

• rganization’s purpose, values, and structure.
• Governance decisions should provide guidelines for

management.

Renter Members

Management Committee

Los Angeles Eco-Village: A Housing Cooperative

Owner members (Board) Bienvenid@s Committee Garden Committee Facilitation Committee New members are approved by the all the members by

• consensus. Owner

members are approved by the owner members. All owner members can serve on the board. Board members are elected by the owner members by super majority vote (⅔). Board hires manager, who is not considered a coop member.

Objectives of Governance

1. To establish organizational policies that are: ○ High quality ○ Responsive to wishes of coop members ○ Understood/accepted in the

• rganization

2. To protect the personal rights of coop members 3. To make sure the governance system remains effective and efficient.

Aim for Clarity in Systems

• Clarity around who can propose, vote,

approve in different decision categories

• Keep things simple
• Exercise at end of class: to get started on this

Possible Roles

• Members

○ All corporate matters ○ Significant policy matters ○ Other specific policies enumerated in By-Laws

• Board of Directors

○ Select and oversee key managers (if any) ○ Set the budget and strategic direction ○ All other policy matters not covered by the full membership

• Management

○ Carry out the regular business of the firm ○ Generate or review policy proposals for the board/membership ○ Do not have authority to set policy

Board Representation

• What proportion of worker owners are on the

board? ○ In smaller orgs, probably all

• If there are managers, do they serve on the

board?

Sample Board Committees

At a larger scale...Help make general Board meetings more efficient

• Executive
• Governance
• Grievance
• Education
• Strategic Planning
• Other?

Sample Management Committees

• Finance
• Production
• Marketing
• Collective Evaluation
• Hiring & Evaluation

Meetings

• When and how do meetings

happen? ○ Board of Directors ○ Committees ○ Annual Meetings (of all membership, if not all members are on the Board)

Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives

Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives

Making Decisions: Who Decides What?

Things to consider:

• Who’s impacted?
• How big is the impact?

○ Financially? ○ Organizationally?

• How long is the impact?
• Coop Policy/Agreement or

Implementation?

• Policy violation or unfairness?

ALL MEMBERS? BOARD?

Cmte? Mgt? Team?

Making Decisions: Who Decides What?

• WRITE: What are some

important decisions coops need to make?

• SHARE: How does your

team make this decision? Why? Does it work well?

Scenarios

Making Decisions: Who Decides What?

• REVIEW: Sample matrix
• DISCUSS: Develop your

team’s governance matrix

Governance Matrix

What does workplace democracy look like?

Governance, Management and Ways Worker Coops Make Decisions