Tag Archives: participatory management

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 →

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Participation Reward

Posted on November 1, 2019 by John McNamara

In the Blueprint for a Co-op Decade, one of the five pillars is “participation” with the stated goal: ““Elevate participation within membership and governance to a new level”. I am not sure how this will be measured or even if … Continue reading →

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Blue Scorcher: Bread and Circles

Posted on October 11, 2019 by John McNamara

The Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café in Astoria, Oregon is a very unique worker co-op. This worker co-op started out as The Bread Collective, a small group of bread bakers. As the collective grew in reputation, production, and staff, a … Continue reading →

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The Big (Wide) Tent of Worker Ownership

Posted on February 24, 2014 by John McNamara

Last month, I flew to Washington DC for a day to represent the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives as a member of the organization. The event was a series of meetings on Capitol Hill sponsored by the American Sustainable Business … Continue reading →

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How Exceptional is “America”?

Posted on October 14, 2013 by John McNamara

The discussion over the last two weeks centered on the challenges of growing a worker cooperative movement in Anglo-Saxon dominated cultures. I split a bit further by focusing on the specific problems in the United States that further hinder the … Continue reading →

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Be the Change You Want to See

Posted on October 7, 2013 by John McNamara

Bob Cannell presented some challenging ideas about the nature worker cooperation in the English-speaking world last week. He noted the disparity in the rise of worker owned and controlled businesses in Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina and a number of … Continue reading →

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Governance of Worker and Producer Cooperatives

Posted on September 30, 2013 by John McNamara

Earlier this month, I had the honor of representing US worker cooperatives on a panel about governance at the International Cooperative Governance Symposium held at the Sobey School of Busines, St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bob Cannell of … Continue reading →

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Democracy at Work Network

Posted on April 22, 2013 by John McNamara

***Disclosure*** I was recently reelected to DAWN’s Board of Governors and the Training and Certification Committee. I am also a founding member of the organization. The following opinion (pitch, if you will) is all mine, however, and should not be … 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 →

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The Co-operative Index

Posted on August 24, 2010 by John McNamara

One of the last workshops of the National Worker Co-operative Conference introduced the Co-operative Index to a United States audience. Before going into the details of this tool, it needs to have a bit of the history explained. In 2005, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Governance, Movement | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments