Co-operative People the Democratic way to do HR

1. Co-operative Peoplethe Democratic way to do HR Bob Cannell FCIPD Personnel Officer Suma www.cbc.coop

2. Worker Co-operatives are people organisations • Why do we do People Management so badly? • Why is ‘Personnel’ the least favourite job? • Why are there so many People Management horror stories in worker co-operatives? • Our ideals do not match reality please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

3. The Cost of not doing People Management properly for individualsunfair treatment, inadequate selection, ineffective performance management, unspoken resentment, demotivation for the co-opbullies rule, development blocked, change blocked, teamworking blocked, quality blocked, inefficiency, limit to growth, uncontrolled risk, vulnerable to blackmail, everyone knows what is wrong but powerless, for the movementworker co-operatives look like a failure please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

4. What’s the problem? • Normal HRM - people work=women’s work, real work is ££ or operations • HRM dehumanises people into a resource. HRM delivers systems, rules, procedures, contracts, competencies. • The owner/executive agent sets the vision and tells the story. ‘Best practice’ HRM - an iron fist in a velvet glove. • Authority springs from the owner. HRM is the agent of the owner. • ‘Normal’ HR does not work without ‘owner authority’. Doing HRM without it generates opposition please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

5. In a worker co-operative? Labour hires capitalWho are the owners? What do they want? Identify, Clarify, Co-ordinate & Facilitatethe wishes of the owners Gain collective authorityto implement members’ wishes and to act on their behalf More like community development than normal HRM please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

6. “Relationships are all there is..” Don't underestimate the challenge • Revolutionary re-invention of HRM as people co-ordination. • Understand what people are feeling about their needs & problems and acceptable solutions How? please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

7. Progression of PM/HRM Administration keeping data, payroll, holidays only fail Supportproviding labour and skills, basic performance management only fail, preserve the value added Consultantadvise and develop the use of skills and coordination of people add value Partneruse people’s capabilities to create and deliver business plans create value please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

8. Agreed Collective Authority • Opposition – loss of individual freedom to act • 2 models of a co-operativea) Group of individuals where individual freedoms are more important. Successes (& failures) just happen.b) Team with agreed behaviours and agreed discipline to maintain them. Successes are planned. • a) immediate personal gain, group lossb) immediate personal loss, deferred group gain please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

9. Other obstacles Catch – 22Collective agreements before they are needed to avoid issues becoming personalBUTMembers only recognise the need for agreements when there is a crisis CrisisAcute – obvious , danger is kneejerk reaction Chronic –‘invisible’customary under performance, agree to ‘draw a line in the sand’ please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

10. Where to start Identify, Clarify, Co-ordinate & Facilitatethe wishes of the owners Suma 1993 - needed new memberslots casuals become permanentprevious member recruitment poor results • Agree what a good member does • Agree a member job description • Use standard HRM techniques to recruit, select, train, assess trainee members • Membership keep the final membership decision in a ballot. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

11. Support and Opposition • Allies – identify & work with them • Supporters – keep them informed & onside • Footdraggers – waiting for the win, reassure • Blockers – they fear, understand them Axelrod’s – Laws of Co-operation • Players must be able to identify the behaviour of other individuals • Continuing and repeated interactions • Selfish behaviours to cost more than co-operative behaviour please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

12. Co-operative Teamworking In a team, members depend on each other in order to do their jobwork is plannedperformance is reviewed Otherwise it is a work group – people just get along with each other Co-operative teams are delegated and self-managing with co-ordinators not captains please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

13. Why teams? Change is impossible without teamworking Improvement and development requires a change in behaviour Only individuals can change behaviour & only when it feels right for them to change Only teams can sustain change • Team agreement to change • Individuals change, mutual support • Peer pressure sustains the change please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

14. Developing teamworking 80% of teamworking is communication The more interactive the better Respectful dialogue rather than debate Informed rather than speculation Time and ability to communicate about the work of the team To review past work To plan future work Difficult at first even to find the time! please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

15. Basic techniques Admin and Support roles www.cipd.co.uk - get trained www.berr.gov.uk - ACAS, Business Link, Employment Guidance www.flmemo.co.uk employment Agreements on basic personnel management to stay legal – members are employees (unless LLP) Try for agreements on principles and not lists of bureaucratic rules please acknowledge bob@suma.coop

16. Interesting techniques Consultant and Business Partner roles Improving governance and management processes (not normally seen as part of HR) • group decisionmaking • participative teamworking www.ica.org.uk/facilitation/approach.htm Technology of Participation www.openspaceworld.org Open Space technology en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_decision_making en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participation_%28decision_making%29 www.cooperantics.coop www.vernalproject.org/papers/process please acknowledge bob@suma.coop