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

2. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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

3. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop The Cost of not doing People Management properly for individuals unfair treatment, inadequate selection, ineffective performance management, unspoken resentment, demotivation for the co-op bullies 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 movement worker co-operatives look like a failure

4. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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

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

6. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop “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?

7. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop Progression of PM/HRM Administration keeping data, payroll, holidays only fail Support providing labour and skills, basic performance managementonly fail, preserve the value added Consultant advise and develop the use of skills and coordination of peopleadd value Partner use people’s capabilities to create and deliver business planscreate value

8. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop Agreed Collective Authority Opposition – loss of individual freedom to act 2 models of a co-operative a) 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 loss b) immediate personal loss, deferred group gain

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

10. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop Where to start Identify, Clarify, Co-ordinate & Facilitate the wishes of the owners Suma 1993 - needed new members lots casuals become permanent previous member recruitment poor results 1.Agree what a good member does 2.Agree a member job description 3.Use standard HRM techniques to recruit, select, train, assess trainee members 4.Membership keep the final membership decision in a ballot.

11. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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 1.Players must be able to identify the behaviour of other individuals 2.Continuing and repeated interactions 3.Selfish behaviours to cost more than co- operative behaviour

12. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop Co-operative Teamworking In a team, members depend on each other in order to do their job work is planned performance 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

13. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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 1.Team agreement to change 2.Individuals change, mutual support 3.Peer pressure sustains the change

14. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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!

15. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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

16. please acknowledge bob@suma.coop 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