What does workplace democracy look like? Governance, Management and Ways Worker Coops Make Decisions
Agenda Review Definition ● 1. Introductions Examples ● Objectives of Governance ● 2. Team Evaluations Getting Clarity ● Roles ● 3. Governance Meetings ● Expanding & Connecting ● 4. Dinner 5. Making Decisions: Who Decides What? 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 organization’s purpose, values, and structure. ● Governance decisions should provide guidelines for management .
Los Angeles Eco-Village: A Housing Cooperative Management New members are Committee approved by the all the members by Owner consensus . Owner members members are approved Bienvenid@s (Board) by the owner members. Committee All owner members can Renter serve on the board. Members Board members are Garden elected by the owner Committee members by super majority vote ( ⅔ ). Board hires manager, Facilitation who is not considered a Committee coop member.
1. To establish organizational policies that are: Objectives of High quality ○ Responsive to wishes of coop ○ Governance members Understood/accepted in the ○ organization 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
Members ● All corporate matters ○ Significant policy matters ○ Possible Other specific policies enumerated in By-Laws ○ Roles 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 ● Executive Board ● Governance Committees ● Grievance At a larger scale...Help ● Education make general Board ● Strategic Planning meetings more efficient ● Other?
Sample ● Finance Management ● Production Committees ● Marketing ● Collective Evaluation ● Hiring & Evaluation
● When and how do meetings 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
Things to consider: Who’s impacted? ● Making Decisions: How big is the impact? ● Who Decides What? Financially? ○ Organizationally? ○ ALL MEMBERS? How long is the impact? ● Coop Policy/Agreement or ● BOARD? Implementation? Policy violation or unfairness? ● Cmte? Mgt? Team?
WRITE: What are some Making Decisions: ● Who Decides What? important decisions coops need to make? SHARE: How does your ● Scenarios team make this decision? Why? Does it work well?
REVIEW: Sample matrix Making Decisions: ● Who Decides What? DISCUSS: Develop your ● team’s governance matrix Governance Matrix
What does workplace democracy look like? Governance, Management and Ways Worker Coops Make Decisions
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