The Co-operative Values Conference Manchester, UK, July 2009 by Jackie Le Fevre
Over 100 people from all over the world gathered in an uncharacteristically hot Manchester this July to address the question Do Values Make a Difference? The values in question were those of the co-operative movement and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the conclusion reached by conference was “yes values do make a difference”.
In his opening keynote address Professor Ian MacPherson of the University of British Columbia in Canada gave an overview of the values of co-operation. In essence his view was given—the core values that do now and always have lain at the heart of co-operatives:
self-help, self responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, solidarity, honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others
These 10 represented the distillation of 50 separate values that had been surfaced through an enquiry conducted in 1995 by the International Co-operative Alliance.
Conference seemed to feel that the uniqueness of co-operatives has been significantly eroded in the recent past. Not-for-profit organisations have become more entrepreneurial, private sector companies have become more socially responsible, local government has diversified into trading and new forms of organisations such as social enterprises and community interest companies have arrived on the scene.
So what does make co-operatives different?
Essentially Professor MacPherson says it is their values. He sees the span of values from individualism – self-help and self responsibility – right the way across to communitarianism – social responsibility and caring for others – as being the uniqueness of the co-operative movement.
Traditionally co-ops emerged as a class or societal response to the “ravages” visited upon groups of people by more powerful actors. Conference mused upon the notion that co-operatives might rise up as “the answer” in a new “economic age” across the world in the coming months and years – I guess we shall just have to wait and see what happens.
For anyone interested in more information about the co-operative movement around the world there are some interesting short reports published by the Co-operative College, you can find them at http://www.co-op.ac.uk/aroundtheworld.htm
Dougal Thompson, Values AT Work, says...
I’m mid way through a great book in Donna Leons’ Commissario Brunetti series, set in Venice. In the story, two people talk about a govt project to collate building information from different bureaux to a central source. apparently for the purpose of effectively storing and speedily searching for plans and permits of building and renovation work being undertaken in the city.
However, according to someone, ‘in the know,’ the whole plan is a ‘smoke screen’ conceived by people within building departments, who were aware of the increasing volume of illegal permits issued, and bribes taken, for building and restoration work carried out. They also recognised the damage that would be caused should details come to light. So, if all the paper work for permits and building plans had to be ‘un-filed’ then moved (physically) between many departments from around the city, then re-filed, in a central location, it would be easy to have particular papers, the important (in this case incriminating) ones, to become conveniently ‘lost’ along the way.
What’s this got to do with values? Well, just before I read about this in the book, I got an email from Paul asking if anyone had any contributions for this eZine As I was reading about the ‘moving of papers across the city’ a thought came to me about the similarities of the confusion that can create ‘lost’ paper and the confusion that we can create to ‘lose’ our values.
It can be easy to keep moving from one ‘thing’ (project, task, chore, job, partner, adventure…) to another, getting caught in the ‘buzz’ of the moment. And, along the way, lose connection with what is really meaningful to us. Now could be the perfect moment for you to take a 5 minute VB, (that’s values break not Victoria Bitter, for those of you in Australia) step out of the ‘buzz,’ and reconnect with what is truly meaningful and motivating to you.