The members appoint the Board[0], and the Board makes decisions about surplus. If the Board distributed surplus in a way not in accordance with member wishes, we would just fire the Board.
Members also appoint the coordinators[1]. Coordinators are not bosses - they serve to operationally implement the strategy set directly by members. If a coordinator started acting like an overlord, we'd just remove them.
There is no decision in the co-op ultimately "above the heads of members". Our co-op is literally owned by the members. We appoint directors, set the strategy, and also carry out the day to day operational work with a lot of individual autonomy in our area of focus.
There are a few mandated delegations made by members (such as directors, coordinators, etc), but the ultimate responsibility and power is held by members. It's not effective to have everyone involved in every decision, and delegation by consent is very important for effective governance and operations.
Members also appoint the coordinators[1]. Coordinators are not bosses - they serve to operationally implement the strategy set directly by members. If a coordinator started acting like an overlord, we'd just remove them.
There is no decision in the co-op ultimately "above the heads of members". Our co-op is literally owned by the members. We appoint directors, set the strategy, and also carry out the day to day operational work with a lot of individual autonomy in our area of focus.
There are a few mandated delegations made by members (such as directors, coordinators, etc), but the ultimate responsibility and power is held by members. It's not effective to have everyone involved in every decision, and delegation by consent is very important for effective governance and operations.
[0] http://loomio.coop/governance.html [1] http://loomio.coop/coordination.html