Coops allow for people to think through issues
Coops in general, but worker coops in particular, allow for people to think wholistically about issues.
I have heard many times that employees should think “What would I do if I owned the business?” before making a decision. But, in a worker coop it is true. We have the ability to have conversations about how to develop the business that may or may not benefit my particular job at the moment. We can talk through the different strategies and implications of decisions as a unit. Thus, allowing people to consider multiple outcomes and make value judgements.
The freedom to have an “owners” meeting as opposed to only functional meetings that are relevant to my job enables for more cohesive thinking. It is impressive to watch people talk themselves into a common goal.