Marilyn Scholl, Manager CDS Consulting Co-op Putney, VT We can apply some very basic psychological frameworks to our work in growing Participation to help us really understand how our members interact with their Cooperative. Marilyn Scholl tells us how.
John Sheller, Trustee PCC Natural Markets Seattle, WA John shares a unique perspective he brings to his board by way of his professional work as a manager of public libraries in the Seattle region. You may be surprised at how much overlap exists between a public library system and a community-ownd co-op. A fascinating watch!
Patricia unpacks the idea of "Belonging" and ties it to the idea of connections. Building community, support, and passion doesn't happen successfully without belong.
By Jeanie Wells 171 March-April 2014 Your market study promises great sales. Developers are wooing you into their properties. Staff and shoppers are clamoring for more space. Adding a second store seems like a piece of cake, right? Not quite. Ask any leader of a food co-op that has made the leap from single to multi-store operations, and you will inevitably hear tales of [...]
"One bad apple spoils the barrel." Intuitively we know this maxim is true. Research at the University of Washington Business School affirms it. Will Felps, Terence Mitchell and Eliza Byington defined three types of bad apples: • Slackers who don't do their share of the work • Perennially unhappy pessimists • Mean-spirited bullies The researchers found that team members will first try moral suasion [...]
The nominations committee of the Friendly City Food Co-op in Harrisonburg, Va. has been meeting since January to get a head start on the board nominations process. In addition to finding excellent candidates and improving the voting process, the co-op also wants to ensure it has contested elections. “Each year we are trying to be more proactive,” said Laura Toni-Holsinger, the board president. “I [...]
Chris Dilley, General Manager, Peoples Food Co-op, Kalamazoo, Mich. You won’t want to miss this video of Chris Dilley, general manager of Peoples Food Co-op in Kalamazoo, Mich. Dilley speaks very eloquently about the impact of their co-op’s growth on the community and as well as how growth has begun to create a conversation about greater access to healthy food for everyone. He spoke [...]
Photos from the 2014 Cooperative Cafe in Portland, OR
Hear directly from the ICA President about the undeniable importance of Participation in building the success of the Cooperative Movement. Dame Green discusses the role of Participation as one of the components of a successful cooperative decade as laid out in the ICA's Blueprint For a Cooperative Decade.
