Successful elections promote good cooperative governance

Effective cooperative governance is about driving economic, social and cultural success for cooperatively owned enterprises.

Good governance is accomplished through transparency, inclusion, responsiveness and accountability, all elements supported by effective voting processes.

Another key element of cooperative governance is the four pillars, which are teaming, democracy, strategic leadership, and accountable empowerment.

According to Marilyn Scholl of Columinate, formerly CDS Consulting Co-op, “The pillars were built to provide a model of how governance in a cooperative is similar, yet different than other types of governance.”

Today’s technology also makes it easier to appeal to all co-op members, from those who prefer paper ballots to those who want the ability to vote online.

As Adam Schwartz of The Cooperative Way stated, “It is important that we encourage participation in the governance process of our co-ops. One way we can do this is to use all possible voting methods.”

Remember, an easy way to practice good governance is by supporting the pillars that help cooperatives succeed, while accommodating members’ voting wants and needs.

To learn more read The Gold Standard of Good Governance eBook.