Practical strategies and solutions for...
rosemarieklee@columinate.coop
512-736-6510
There’s always the possibility of a vacancy on the board, and sometimes it’s a planned event, and at other times it’s unexpected. In either case, it’s important to have a backup plan or a process for replacing people if necessary. This was something the board of Wheatsville Food Co-op in Austin, Texas, learned when they were faced with three vacancies, one that was expected, [...]
When we examine the process of alignment and how it works, it seems straightforward. For example, board and management come together for learning and discussion about the future of the co-op and share an agreed-upon purpose. Of course, things don’t end there. But predicated upon board-management alignment is the awareness that what the board and management is doing is fulfilling the aspirations of the [...]
By Dan Gillotte, Rose Marie Klee 166 May-June 2013 In Austin, Texas, Wheatsville Co-op is taking a BIG Direction: "Business Is Good." Wheatsville's BIG Direction is the general manager's interpretation of our Ends -policies, which act as a powerful, multi-faceted expression of our strategic plan. The Wheatsville Ends policies are as follows: Wheatsville will be at the forefront of a transformed society that has: [...]
By Rose Marie Klee 162 September-October 2012 Wheatsville Co-op, established in 1976, has become a mainstay of the local business scene in Austin, Texas. Through our first decades, we were initially focused on survival and on cultivating our community of members; and over the past decade, we have grown our relationship with the national food co-op community. Connecting through CCMA (Consumer Cooperative Management Association) [...]
Our series on innovative co-operative organizations in Austin had to cover what is probably the largest and longest-running co-op in central Texas. The Wheatsville Food Co-op began operations in 1976 and has been one of the outstanding features of Austin’s food community ever since. We met with Rose Marie Klee, President of the Board of Directors, to learn more about the history of Wheatsville [...]
Looking to the Cooperative Principles, it is clear that cooperatives are by design set up to be empowering organizations. From the first principle to the last, from open membership to concern for community, all aspects of the cooperative’s control of resources are to be a model of trust and transparency. This is achieved when the people involved at all levels know their roles and [...]
By Rose Marie Klee 150 September - October 2010 Board of directors’ self-evaluation is the act of reflecting upon the past in order to constantly improve. It is rooted in a sincere commitment to providing high-quality governance as trustees of an organization. When a board practices periodic evaluation, each director comes to better understand the expectations for individual directors, as well as the entire [...]
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There is nothing more fundamental to cooperative governance than the board-GM relationship. After all, the entire leadership of the co-op rests on how the board and the general manager work together in their respective roles, which are unique and non-redundant. The work that the board must do to lead and execute its board duties is not the same work that the general manager must [...]
