This weekend I noticed a posting from a friend, colleague and mentor of mine: Tom Webb. He had found an old write up called The Things We Know. I am not sure of the source of this document, but if it comes from Tom, it probably has a rich history within the Canadian Maritime Cooperative Movement. I am sharing it today, but will spend the next few weeks, discussing each bullit point in more detail. So tune in, comment, and let’s have a great discussion about our coops (warts and all).
- The successful cooperatives of the world are those that have grown out of the efforts and determination of the people themselves. It is not enough that coops be for the people, they must be of and by them as well.
- The best coops are those that had dedicated and courageous leaders either in the very beginning or in their early) history
- The capital created within the working of the cooperative is vastly more important than the financial resources of the members in the beginning
- Coops make their best contribution to human welfare and social progress when they initiate policies and practices different from those of old line businesses
- There comes a time in the development of every cooperative enterprise when it must have managerial ability of a high order
- Coops that stand for something more than financial gains have amazing powers of survival in times of stress and difficulty
- Coops that isolate themselves from other coops and refuse to join the bigger cooperative movement tend to shrivel up and die
- Coops can withstand prolonged attacks from without, but they can’t survive weak or dishonest leadership within
- Too much aid from government or paternalism of any kind will blight cooperative effort
- Cooperatives with weak leadership resist change
- There is no type business too big or difficult for the cooperative way
- Too rigid a structure in organizational set up is a serious obstacle to progress in cooperative development, especially in a period of rapid change
- Coops in which control narrows down to fewer and fewer hands tend to behave more and more like old line capitalism
- A cooperative with no education program is in mortal danger