Ideas / Notes / Questions from Reading List

Ideas / Notes / Questions from Reading List ======================== ## General questions: - How much do our needs and values overlap? - who we serve - who we collaborate with - what processes, tools, technologies we use - what benefits – financial, social, lifestyle – have attracted us to co-ops in the first place - what are our visions for our co-op organization, our immediate ecosystem, and our society? - For certain values (that we perhaps universally agee on), do we share common definitions? Examples: - open - transparent - decentralized - just - inclusive - What aspects of the organization (and in what capacity) do people want to participate? What are some necessary tasks that don't align with interests? - How much and under what conditions are we as a co-op willing to stray from our core values? ## Tensions ### Tensions around “what we do” #### Verticals vs. Horizontals Eg. Should we focus on “serving underserved communities” or “building ethical and affordable technologies” #### Product vs. Process Eg. Are we selling the outcomes of our work (technological systems) or are our processes and politics what we offer (workshops, design research, etc.) #### People vs. Products/Process/Revenue Although as a co-op, we agree that we work for the benefit of our members – in what way do we do ensure that member interests do not conflict with product development, sticking to agreed upon processes, and sustainable revenues? ### Tensions around “how we work” #### Rigidity vs. Fluidity Eg. Structure offers efficiency but may not be adaptive to unforeseen issues. This may be relevant to: - How often and in what context we meet - Where we work (remote-working or co-working) - How we enforce decisions #### Individual vs. Collective Responsibility ### Tensions around “who we work with” #### Collaboration vs. Competition Working within a system that is underpinned by the economics of competition, how do we build a collaborative ecosystem of partners? ## Frameworks: - Cooperative Principles - 1. Voluntary and Open Membership - 2. Democratic Member Control - 3. Member Economic Participation - 4. Autonomy and Independence - 5. Education, Training, and Information - 6. Cooperation among Cooperatives - 7. Concern for Community - Elinor Ostrom's Design Principles for CPR: - **Clearly defined** (clear definition of the contents of the common pool resource and effective exclusion of external un-entitled parties); - The appropriation and provision of common resources that are adapted to **local conditions**; - **Collective-choice** arrangements that allow most resource appropriators to participate in the decision-making process; - **Effective monitoring** by monitors who are part of or accountable to the appropriators; - A scale of **graduated sanctions** for resource appropriators who violate community rules; - Mechanisms of **conflict resolution** that are **cheap** and of **easy access**; - **Self-determination** of the community recognized by higher-level authorities; and - In the case of larger common-pool resources, organization in the form of **multiple layers of nested enterprises**, with small local CPRs at the base level. - Adaptive Governance: - Achieving accurate and relevant information, by focusing on the creation and use of timely scientific knowledge on the part of both the managers and the users of the resource - Dealing with conflict, acknowledging the fact that conflicts will occur, and having systems in place to discover and resolve them as quickly as possible - Enhancing rule compliance, through creating responsibility for the users of a resource to monitor usage - Providing infrastructure, that is flexible over time, both to aid internal operations and create links to other resources - Encouraging adaption and change to address errors and cope with new developments ## Ideas for retreat: - Include in pre-worksheet: - Definitions of jargony words like - Vision - Mission - Benefits - Values - Examples of visions from various organizations (including root systems, changes in facebook mission, other ones that are demonstrative of the value of visioning) - Considerations for a co-operative vision - Ecosystem of solidarity? - Prompts for who we serve, what we do, etc. - Blank template of statement - Activity will be consensus on joint statement - Followed by refinement of statement - Values prioritization exercise pp 31-32 of Nesta's [Creative Enterprise Toolkit](https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/creative_enterprise_toolkit_english.pdf) - Ways to accelerate process: - Proposals - Use Loomio? - Facilated activities followed by collective synthesis - Roadmap Activity: - Discuss factors affecting timeline: - Legal requirements - Individual availabilities - Grant approvals - New opportunities - Processes in place to get things moving - Tools and infrastructure - Legal and financial - Anything missing? - Generate list of milestones together - ie. "What needs to happen?" - Order list of milestones chronlogically - ie. "What's the most important and what are the dependencies?" - Idenitify dates for each milestone according to previously discussed factors - ie. "When will it happen?" - Cluster identified milestones and activities by category, eg: tools, legal, etc. - Establish working groups (including a lead) for determined categories and assign milestones to hit # Retreat Playbook **Status**: _WIP Draft_ After finalization, all members can fork their own hackpad copy for using the playbook. ## Background A [group of individuals]( https://hackmd.io/BqPYmfK1RfCRG7Yi_aEk0A)–community organizers, researchers, technologists, designers, and dreamers–have indicated their desire to form a worker co-op. We're holding a retreat to establish our collective vision, align on shared values, consider ways of working together, and plan future activities. This **Retreat Playbook** is designed by a sub-comittee of volunteers. It contains context, pre-read material, and solo exercises to be conducted *before our retreat* to accelerate the process of finding common ground *during our retreat*. In addition to this playbook, we will be using Loomio for remote collaboration on certain decisions. ## Expected Outcomes at the end of the Retreat At the end of 2 (three hour) sessions on 2 different dates (TBD) we will establish: 1. *Consensus* on our **vision** and **mission** 2. *Alignment* on shared **values** 3. A *list of considerations* on **governance** 4. A *road map* of **milestones** ## Readings *Time Required: 2 Hours* *When to do: Before Day 1* During the retreat you're encouraged to share a few thoughts from the following readings: ### Essential :globe_with_meridians: [ICA Cooperative identity, values & principles](https://www.ica.coop/en/whats-co-op/co-operative-identity-values-principles) _NB: For further clarification on any of the cooperative principles see [these guidance notes](https://www.ica.coop/sites/default/files/publication-files/ica-guidance-notes-en-310629900.pdf)_ **Thoughts** ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` ### Thematic [ TBD - allot 1 reading per person to share] **Thoughts** ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` ## _Optional_: Reference Material on Mission, Vision, Values This section is meant to provide reference and context for Day 1. ### Why are we creating a shared vision? A shared vision and mission is important for any organization because: 1. It tells us why we're committing our time to work together 2. It tells others what we as an organization want to achieve 3. It inspires action and generates enthusiasm 4. While we may have conflicting viewpoints, interests, and perspectives, we can use our vision to establish shared understanding 5. It provides focus and direction for future strategic planning 6. It clarfies our objectives and provides a framework for measuring success ### Definitions of vision, mission, and values Although some organizations use the words *vision* and *mission* interchangeably, we're using the following definitions of these words: **Vision** A vision must encapsulate our hopes and dreams; what has brought us together; and inspire our cooperative vision for our society, our ecosystem, and ourselves. **Mission** A mission clarifies answers to questions like *who we serve*, *what we serve*, and *how we serve*. **Values** Values are ideas or guiding principles that we hold very dear to our hearts – something we strive to preserve in any work we do. ### Examples The following are examples of how some organizations have converged on their mission, vision, and values. They are intended to help understand the purpose of visioning in guiding strategic direction. **[Patagonia](https://www.patagonia.com/company-info.html)** (Clothing retailer) *Mission:* Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. *Vision:* A love of wild and beautiful places demands participation in the fight to save them, and to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of our planet. **[Oregon Woodland Co-op](https://www.oregonwoodlandcooperative.com/our-story.html)** *Mission:* We serve the Oregon woodland community by providing services and assistance through the power of cooperative actions of our members *Values:* - _Forest Stewardship_: We, as landholders, work hard to be good stewards and have a kinship to the land. It is a way of life to care for the land and grow forests that we wish to pass on to future generations. - _Sustainability_: We believe that careful management coupled with long-term planning leads to healthy forest ecosystems that can sustainably provide many benefits, including clean water, wildlife habitat, and a variety of products. - _Cooperation_: As a cooperative, we work together to support one another's efforts to learn the best ways to grow, create and sell products that are in keeping with the goals of forest stewardship and sustainability. - _Integrity_: We are committed to selling authentic, high-quality products, made with natural ingredients, and to achieving customer satisfaction. **[Root Systems](https://www.rootsystems.nz/context/vision.html)** (Tech-worker Coop) Root system has synthesized their mission, vision, and values in to the following: - _Interdependent abundance_ - We wish to work on what we want to work on and don't do what we don't want to do. - By sharing our values, we hope to connect our wants and offers with those around us for explicit interdependence. - _Always be learning and teaching_ - We aim to always be learning and always be teaching. - We strive for nurturing environments for creativity, so everyone is supported to excel on their personal journey. - _Life support infrastructure_ - We share all our work with others, building up a pool of re-usable modules, knowledge systems, and living ecosystems, and sharing them virally to others who might benefit. - We want to live in a world with ubiquitous, location-agnostic localisation that supports all living beings **Facebook** Facebook has recently changed its mission from: *Making the world more open and ++connected++.* to: *Give people the power to build ++community++ and bring the world ++closer together++.* This shift in mission demonstrates that Facebook acknowledges its role in what is said on the platform and (for better or worse) will work towards bringing communities closer together. ## Solo Visioning Exercise *Time Required: 1.5 Hours* *When to do: Before Day 1* Organize your thoughts around the following questions to share during Day 1. You could write 2-3 sentences or a few bullet points for the following: - Who do you think the co-op should serve? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` - What exactly does the co-op serve? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` - How do you think the co-op should serve them? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` - What does successful cooperation mean to you? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` - Why does the establishment of the cooperative matter to you? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` - What might a collaborative ecosystem (perhaps a network of solidarity) look like? ``` _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ ``` The answers to these questions will be used as starting material to co-draft the following statement: ``` For ____________________ (who we serve) who ____________________ (the needs we serve) our co-operative is a ____________ (classification or category) that __________________ (compelling reason for us to work together) unlike ____________________ (current state of affairs) our organization _____________________ (primary point of difference) ``` We will use the above draft to iterate on finalized mission and vision statements. ## Solo Values Prioritization Exercise *Time Required: 30 mins* *When to do: Before Day 1* Pick **5 values** that are important to you and that you will be able to share on Day 1. These could be values that you've sought to preserve in the past while making difficult decisions or they could be aspirational. ``` Value 1: _______________ Value 2: _______________ Value 3: _______________ Value 4: _______________ Value 5: _______________ ``` If you need a starting point, here are some words from a creative toolkit to get you thinking: ``` Accountability Achievement Advancement Aesthetics Authority Balance Belonging Celebrity Challenge Community Co-operation Creativity Credibility Curiosity Determination Discipline Dynamism Effectiveness Excitement Excellence Fame Financial security Financial gain Freedom Grace Growth Harmony Helping others Helping society Honesty Humour Independence Influencing others Integrity Intellectual status Innovation Joy Justice Knowledge Leadership Loyalty Meaningful work Monetary gain Openness Originality Peace Power Public service Quality Recognition Reputation Resilience Respect Responsibility Self-respect Spontaneity Stability Status Sustainability Teamwork Tolerance Time freedom Tranquility Trust Variety Vision Wisdom Work/Life balance Working alone ``` _Word list adapted from [Nesta's Creative Enterpise Toolkit](https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/creative_enterprise_toolkit_english.pdf) (CC-BY-SA 4.0)_ Worker Co-ops Facts - A worker co‐op exists primarily to create employment for its members - All members of a worker co‐operative must be employees, but not all employees must be members. There are two specific requirements: - Atleast 75% of all employees must be members - Aleast 75% of permanent, full-time employees must be members - 2 Governmental Bodies Overseeing Co-ops: - _ServiceOntario_: responsible for the incorporation of co-operative corporations (co-ops) in Ontario - _Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO)_: oversees regulation under the Co-operative Corporations Act _NB: For more information see [Ontario Co-Operatives Association on Worker Co-operatives](https://ontario.coop/sites/default/files/SS02_Worker%20Co-operatives.pdf)_ Starting a Worker Co-op | ACTIVITY | RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMENTS | |----------|----------| | **PHASE I - DEVELOPING THE IDEA** | | | 1. Assemble a Group of Interested People | :heavy_check_mark: | | 2. Conduct a Pre-feasibility Study | :heavy_check_mark: We have project ideas on the go | | **PHASE II - CO-ORDINATING PRE CO-OPERATIVE ACTIVITIES** | | 3. Hold an organizing meeting | Retreat meetings on Dec 4 & 8 :palm_tree::palm_tree: | | 4. Conduct a viability study | Create a working group to draft business plan and conduct feasibility study (including approach to Y1 financing) | | **PHASE III - ORGANIZING AND GETTING STARTED** || | 5. Organize the association Set up adhoc committies such as: - Planning - Tools - Drafting by-laws | Strike working group to draft bylaws and articles of incorporation Early identified issues: - Nature of Board (all, subset?) - Nature of Membership (tiers, flat?) - Nature of Capital (shares, buy-in?) - Nature of Profit (how to manage surplus; see FSCO Guide) | | 6. Organize the enterprise - Plan the operations - Plan start up financing - Recruit and train staff - Ensure legal compliance | Consult a lawyer over by-laws Prepare member handbook: - connecting by-laws and our working processes through our values - plain-text duties and checklists for required roles (president, secretary, finance person) - what it means to be a good member - archive of agreements and minutes - guide to our ways of working | | 7. Hold the initial General Meeting | By-laws must be adopted within 18 months | _NB: Based on [Industry Canada's The Seven Steps in Forming a Co-operative](http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/106.nsf/eng/h_00073.html#seven)_ Checklist of Critical Steps - [ ] Identify 3 people who will incorporate (majority based in Canada) - [ ] Pick a co-op name that meets _Act_ requirements - [ ] Do a [Nuans Search](https://www.nuans.com/intro-en-fr.html) - [ ] Have a head office address - [ ] Prepare articles of incorporation - Identify restrictions on business, classes of membership, stakeholder groups, share/loan capital, other provisions - [ ] Host annual meeting and adopt bylaws within 18 months _NB: Details on [FSCO Legal Requirements](http://www.fsco.gov.on.ca/en/coops/Documents/legal_reqs.pdf)_

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