These companies with no CEO are thriving
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Co-ops are a big part of the global economy: they employ 10% of the world’s workforce and over two trillion dollars flow through their doors every year. At a co-op, there’s no single person with overarching, top-down power over everyone else, like a CEO at a traditional company. So what exactly is a co-op and how does it work? Explore the different types of cooperatives and how they operate.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
Virginie Pérotin, Professor of Economics at Leeds University Business School, specializes in the effects of firm ownership and governance on performance, worker co-operatives, employee ownership, and profit sharing. She wrote an analysis titled:
“What Do We Really Know About Worker Co-operatives?”
Among other things, she details the benefits of coops: they tend to be larger and cost less money. They often survive longer and are more stable than traditional businesses. They’re often more organized, efficient and productive. There’s less of a difference in pay between the top earner and lowest paid employee, so they are more equitable. For a snapshot of worker collectives in the U.S., including statistics and infographics, head over here.
The Coop Economy 2020 is a comprehensive report on the UK’s Cooperative sector. In it, you’ll find a breakdown of ownership and control, a summary of survival rates, two case studies – the Creative Coop and the Open Food Network – and a breakdown of each sector and how much money is being made each year within each.
“What Do We Really Know About Worker Co-operatives?”
Among other things, she details the benefits of coops: they tend to be larger and cost less money. They often survive longer and are more stable than traditional businesses. They’re often more organized, efficient and productive. There’s less of a difference in pay between the top earner and lowest paid employee, so they are more equitable. For a snapshot of worker collectives in the U.S., including statistics and infographics, head over here.
The Coop Economy 2020 is a comprehensive report on the UK’s Cooperative sector. In it, you’ll find a breakdown of ownership and control, a summary of survival rates, two case studies – the Creative Coop and the Open Food Network – and a breakdown of each sector and how much money is being made each year within each.

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