ORGANIZATIONS AS A SEED OF TRANSFORMATION IN SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY

 Original article published in Catalan on 10/10/2022


This is the reflection I shared on October 3, 2022, during the inaugural presentation of the Week of Social and Solidarity Economy in Mataró. A reflection born from theoretical knowledge; from ideas, vision, and dreams; and from the experience of the organizational transformation process that we have been promoting and building at Fundació el Maresme for the past few years.

Ideas, vision, and dreams about how Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) organizations can contribute to building a fairer, less unequal world where people and their well-being are at the center of the economic model.

The main idea of this reflection is that the way companies, organizations, and entities are organized is not neutral, and if they truly want to be active in social transformation, it must begin within the organizations themselves. Organizations should be the mirror what they aim to generate around them.

Social and Solidarity Economy emerges as an alternative model against the inequality generated by the current economic system. It proposes alternative practices by applying universal values such as equity, justice, solidarity, commitment to the environment, and democracy. It is an economic model that places people and their well-being above profit and money. Money is seen as a tool to reach that objective, rather than the objective of the economy itself. Common elements of SSE entities include a focus not only on what they do but also on how they do it. Five main axes define this "how they do it": democratic governance, quality of labor, sustainability, community engagement, and equity.

Democratic governance is an organizational framework that incorporates the voices of different stakeholders. It is based on organizational models where management relies on self-management and self-organization of work teams. Decision-making is shared, not held by individuals, but by teams. Inclusive models that also search empowering individual and collective. Models based on collective construction, understanding it not just as the sum of voices but as the generation of collective intelligence, where the result surpasses individual intelligences' sum. It recognizes diversity in people, knowledge, and life experiences.

What do we mean by organizational models? Primarily, we refer to the architecture and dynamics of organizations. Architecture graphically represents how a specific entity is organized—essentially the organizational chart. Depending on the architecture, different things will happen within the organization. Dynamic organization refers to how work happens within an organization. In organizational models based on democratic governance, dynamics that facilitate listening to different voices, self-management, shared decision-making, and collective construction are promoted.

An important aspect of SSE organizational dynamics is again how these dynamics are carried out. This how should align with values like respect, active listening, solidarity, sustainability, and equity, among others. Recognition of diversity, awareness of intersubjectivity, acknowledgment of feelings and emotions, awareness of power dynamics—how different powers operate—and understanding of hierarchies are important aspects.

For me, this "form," that how, would be the underground of organizations: that invisible, intangible layer that supports and makes organizations unique. We must be aware of this, nurture, and care for it to have a fertile, cared for, safe, and sustainable underground. An underground that contributes to sustaining everything above it: the organizational models we are pursuing.

So, my idea, vision, dream to promote Social and Solidarity Economy is that if SSE entities want to contribute to transforming the economic model, they themselves must become part of the transformation. This transformation should be seen fractally: entities should transform into what they want to see externally, but this transformation should start from individuals, teams, organizations, and the ecosystems they're part of.

Therefore, if we want a more equitable, solidarity-driven, sustainable society with greater participation, commitment to the community, and promoter of social change, the organizations themselves must move towards models that reflect these values.

Social and Solidarity Economy entities cannot be organized according to traditional pyramid structures, with organizational models based on business models that don't align with the economic model they aim for. They need to be organizations based on democratic governance models; models that prioritize people and care; models with internal transformative will that influences their around; models with an ecological rather than mechanistic focus; agile models aimed at responding more quickly and innovatively to complexity; models that bring out different kinds of leadership; more community-oriented and inclusive organizational models, permeable to the community to work on the desired economic model change; more participatory and self-managed models while still caring for what unites organizations: their organizational culture, their DNA; more feminist and less paternalistic organizational models; models where work is more than just a salary but a way to contribute to social transformation.

I concluded this reflection by sharing and briefly explaining the organizational transformation experience we've been fostering at Fundació el Maresme since July 2020, as a Social and Solidarity Economy entity. You can find a brief explanation of the transformation we're building in the following 2-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnrS5XGSkhE.

Being aware that this is a slow transformation but desiring it to endure over time. Profound changes cannot be fast; they need to deeply root in a fertile, cultivated, and well-taken-care-of underground. Aspiring to be one more seed of the change we want to see.

You can view the full presentation at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRiI8wqFCCw&t=570s

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Some inspiring readings:

  • DARCELES, Maite (2009). Guías para la transformación. BAI, Berrikuntza Agentzia = Agencia de Innovación.

  • FANTOVA, Fernando (2017) Manual para la gestión de la intervención social. Editorial CCS

  • LALOUX, Frederic. (2016). Reinventing Organizations. Garra.

  • MANENT, Ariadna & Fantova, Fernando (2020). "Transformación Organizacional e Inclusión Comunitaria". Ley de Engel (www.lleiengel.cat)


  • MINDELL, Arnold (2004). Sitting in the Fire: Large Group Transformation Using Conflict and Diversity. Icaria Editorial.

  • VAZQUEZ, Alfonso. (2000). La imaginación estratégica, Granica.

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