Submitted by Rachel Rose
An invitation to Sunnyhill,
I have been reflecting on what it means to be cooperative and would like to share my thoughts...
We often speak about “being cooperative” but in my time here I have seen many behaviours we assume are cooperative despite being in contradiction to one another.
It seems at times that there is an assumption that since we are part of a co-op that we must be behaving cooperatively, but I don’t believe that’s the case. I think being cooperative is an intentional act that needs to be practiced time and time again. It’s not an arrival but rather an ongoing activity. We can’t declare that we are being cooperative, cooperation needs to be driven by shared ethics and values.
We rely on our policies, Robert’s Rules, as well as norms to govern how we operate, but in many ways these are incomplete. These are merely tools and it’s the ethic and spirit in which they are utilized that can become cooperative or uncooperative.
I have been wondering, what are the principles of cooperative behaviour? What does this look like in practice? What behaviours undermine cooperation?
Over the last year I have observed instances of behaviours that I perceive to be uncooperative including:
Making assumptions
Starting dialogue with accusations and adversarial tones.
Refusing to communicate or shutting down
Seeking to be right rather than to be heard
A refusal to take perspectives
I have also seen behaviours that I believe to be cooperative including:
Asking questions with curiosity
Listening
Turn taking
Showing appreciation
Starting with goodwill
Trusting in the good faith of others to function on our behalf
In my opinion Sunnyhill is at a pivotal juncture whereby we need to begin to further deliberate what it actually means to be cooperative and hold ourselves accountable to this or we risk division, harm, and fracture. My fear is if we don’t do this, uncooperative behaviours will further silence and marginalize members who we so deeply need engaged. Without this our meetings will be empty and we will find ourselves further apart and falling into disrepair.
I am sincerely interested in exploring the ethics and values of how we cooperate and would love to engage in dialogue and learn about what this means to you in efforts of starting to craft a shared vision.
All my best,
Rachel
#807