Sociocracy in Cooperatives Conference 2022
As part of the Sociocracy in Cooperatives Annual Conference 2022 (Sociocracy for All), we were asked to present a showcase session in which we discussed our own implementation of sociocracy and the success and challenges of implementing such a cooperative governance model during a period of rapid growth.
The session was framed as a conversation between Zig Power and Jo Roberts from Third Sector Accountancy (TSA), with Abbie Kempson from Sociocracy for All’s Co-op Circle. The showcase session can be watched on demand here.
Sociocracy at TSA
We are uniquely organised as a worker co-operative. This means that all staff are highly motivated, interested in the sector and in their clients, and take ownership of their work. We believe that being a co-operative leads to a better outcome for us and for our clients.
We use the system of sociocracy to best function as an effective and efficient co-operative.
Sociocracy offers a decision making and governance model in line with the ethos of the cooperative identity, which honours and centres the human individual within the organisation. As values-based and principle-driven socio-economic organisations, co-ops benefit from an operating system that has a coherence and a synergy with the Cooperative Identity. Sociocracy is an approach to decision making and organizational structuring that is relatively quick and easy for a co-op or start-up group to start using.
Sociocracy combines consent decision-making, a decentralized system of authority and intentional processes to improve our decisions and processes over time into a governance system that supports effective and efficient process while increasing connection, listening and co-creation among members.