Category Archives: Management

How Do We Change the Police?

Posted on June 1, 2020 by John McNamara

The rate at which black Americans are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans. This is a non-comprehensive list of deaths at the hands of police in the U.S. since Eric Garner’s … Continue reading →

Posted in American Dream, Conversion, Human Relations, Management, Pensimientos, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Willy St: Co-op for Consumers, Union for the Workers

Posted on November 27, 2019 by John McNamara

Beatrix Potter ( who with her husband Sidney Webb led the Fabian Socialists (predecessors to the Labour Party in the UK) generally opposed the notion of worker co-ops. The argument went something along the lines that all humans share the … Continue reading →

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Sociocracy: The Worker Co-op Operating System

Posted on November 26, 2019 by John McNamara

Over the last couple of years, I have had the incredible opportunity to work with Sociocracy For All (SoFA). This organization has worked diligently to bring the concepts of sociocracy out of the “best kept secret” category and into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Management, worker co-ops | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

My 2nd Birthplace: Union Cab of Madison 40 years on

Posted on October 29, 2019 by John McNamara

I am a bit glad that this post came so late in the month. I needed some time to get back in the practice of blogging before taking tackling this–so many thoughts and emotions run though my mind that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Co-op Month, Management, worker co-ops | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Central Co-op: A Tale of Two Cities

Posted on October 12, 2019 by John McNamara

Seattle’s Central Co-op’s Logo

Before I start with today’s Co-op Month post, please note that I am not a member of Central Co-op, nor have I shopped there. Also, a couple of the managers are alumni of the MMCCU program at … Continue reading →

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The People’s Ride: A Co-op Response to Uber

Posted on October 5, 2015 by John McNamara

I haven’t been a fan of the “sharing economy” primairlity because it really isn’t about sharing, it is about extraction. Uber, Lyft, AirBnB, TaskRabbit aren’t sharing anything, they are providing a technological interface for people to do menial jobs and … Continue reading →

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Teamwork vs. Collaboration

Posted on September 8, 2014 by John McNamara

One of my weekly “must-reads” includes the Monday Morning Memo from the “Wizard of Ads” marketing guru Roy H. Williams. His weekly thoughts offer insight into the world of advertising and the human condition. Often illuminating, the Wizard delves into … Continue reading →

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Managing Old Industries: A lesson for aging coops

Posted on November 4, 2013 by John McNamara

Last week, Mondragon’s General Consul announced that it had decided to cease its efforts to stabilize the FAGOR Cooperative Group. FAGOR electronics makes kitchen appliances: stoves, ovens, refrigerators, and even pressure cookers. It is the original Mondragon cooperative that began … Continue reading →

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Getting Back to Normal?

Posted on April 16, 2012 by John McNamara

I am looking forward to the future! For the last nine months, I have been in the role of General Manager of my co-operative. It has been a very difficult time made more difficult by the ebbs and flows of … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Management, Movement | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Power of the Mission

Posted on August 8, 2011 by John McNamara

Recently, I was presenting a session on expansion and I discussed the role of mission statements. The main idea is that a first step at planning significant change in our co-ops should begin with an examination of our mission statements. … Continue reading →

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