In a democratic organization like a cooperative, it is vital that the owners’ voices come through to the co-op leadership. In the Ends to Ends Strategic Process ORW, board members can learn how to effectively channel the values and voices of their owners to create Ends that not only reflect desires for their co-op, but also demonstrate how Ends are also part of the co-op’s strategic process. The Ends can drive what the co-op strives to accomplish in the organization on a daily basis. The ORW is a fantastic introduction to using the Ends within a strategic process, empowering co-op leaders to enhance their leadership and turn decisions into plans and actions for the future.

“I’m really excited to have this new resource available in our CBLDLibrary. Art and I have tried to answer a question that we regularly hear from boards and individual directors: ‘How do we fit into the Strategic Planning process for our co-op?’ Here we show the logical connection between the board’s Ends policies and the operational plans and planning process. And we’ve gathered together some great examples from boards and managers who are doing this work — and who are making sure the ends-related values become Ends for Everybody, especially including communication with members.” — Michael Healy

“GMs and their management teams have expressed the desire to effectively connect the Ends to the multi-year plans and actions of the cooperative. The Ends to Ends process demonstrates a robust strategic process which goes full circle from Ends to interpretation to strategic planning to operational plans back to effective Ends reporting. All along the way, the process demonstrates how you can tell the story and making Ends for Everybody a daily way of doing cooperative business. Built on experience with and examples from our food co-ops, we hope this new resources is yet another step toward boards and managers building even more effective Cooperative Strategic Leadership.” — Art Sherwood

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