Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
... The first time I tried to form a business with other people, we chose Cooperative over Corporation or Partnership (the fourth form is Sole Proprietor). It fell apart over power tripping among equals.
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Such power tripping can happen in almost any startup enterprise. It is common for new private schools to struggle horribly within five years over internal disagreements as to authority, direction, and curriculum. Plenty of business partners in startup corps don't end up getting along, either, and somebody gets forced out. Meanwhile there are also examples of long-term successful worker-owned cooperatives around the world. Some of the most notable would be the Mondragon Corporation in Spain, the Brukman Factory in Argentina, and the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative. But I don't see any shame if a coop disbands after some years ...when it's time to move on... move on.
Buckminster Fuller was part of the Black Mountain College in North Carolina. That school was owned by the faculty and run democratically:
Black Mountain College: A Brief Introduction - Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center ...he taught students for a while... hd them build an early version of his domes...
This EM site has cooperative aspects: we all make the content quite equally, though we don't own it. We do some pretty good "critical engineering" around here, even if it is all low-tech hacking.
Wikipedia is a version of that open democratic cooperative enterprise, too... not "worker owned cooperatives" but so what. Wikipedia is great "critical engineering" in that its "workers" have learned not just subject matter but about hacking "encyclopedia." They have reinvented editing and its all free and open to all. Over the years, the quality of wikipedia's content has improved greatly. It is a go to source and not a bad one.