Co-op News
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2005
Innovations in Our Operations
by Alan Harrington, Co-op Manager
I thought I'd update members on some of the things that have been happening
behind the scenes, because often they are not apparent but are significant
in the development and further growth of the Co-op and usually involve
a lot of work.
The Co-op made a detailed and comprehensive submission on the Draft
SEQ Regional Plan that has been registered with the State Government's
Office of Urban Management. It followed the lines of the article in
the February/March newsletter, but with more detail. Many thanks to
newsletter editor Ruth Parnell
for her initiative and work on this very important matter which will
impinge on where and how we live in this region in the future.
The Directors have decided to adopt the "Carver" model of
corporate governance. This model requires that Boards become far more
enlightened and more competent as groups than they have been. The model
conceives of Boards (the governing body) as being the on-site voice
of ownership, i.e., the members, and enables Boards to ensure that organisations
achieve stated goals and conduct themselves with probity. With the Co-op
turning over $1 million per annum in sales, and with plans for redevelopment
in progress,
the Board considers the Co-op has reached a level of sophistication
that warrants the implementation of this innovative approach to governance.
The main thrust of this model is that it informs the Board's planning,
mission, committee work, agenda control, budgeting, reporting, CEO evaluation,
management relationships, fiduciary responsibility and all other aspects
of the Board's job. The model also prescribes what can't happen, and
the idea is that people will be more innovative in achieving goals.
Directors Kamala Alister and Dawn Goddard are carrying out all the hard
preparatory work.
The Directors have also signed off on a revised and modernised Manager's
job description. In addition, they have developed and introduced a series
of internal controls to monitor Co-op operations and ensure that efficient
and sound financial principles are being followed.
As Manager, I welcome these pro-active and timely innovations and congratulate
the Board.
On more mundane matters, the Co-op Directors signed off on the absolute
final renovation/development design and these plans can now be submitted
to Caloundra City Council. It's been a long, slow and frustrating process,
but we are finally getting there. The Co-op also joined the Earth's
Choice Club.
Some Co-op members would have noticed that there has been a bit of queuing
at the counter in recent times. To increase our level of service further,
we have introduced a third till and this seems to be working well.
On another topical note, Director Sidonie Bouchet recently gave birth
to a daughter, Jamala, a potential Co-op member of the future! All parties,
including dad Francis Minnaert, are doing just fine, I hear.
Speaking of parties, Maple Street Co-op's 25th Anniversary celebration
will be held at the Maleny Community Centre on Saturday 15 October,
so make sure you keep this date free. Any members who have any suggestions,
please get in touch with me. We will be contacting the original members
and are aiming to have a really fun night with great food and music
as well as plenty of cooperative bonding. We'll provide further details
of the night as we get nearer to the date.
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2005; published by
The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny,
Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]