Executive Team
The board may appoint an Executive Team (ET) to implement corporate policy and business plans. The powers of the ET are defined in Clause 20, and Board members have the power to further define the authority of the ET. If no ET has been appointed, directors with the most Labour Shares assume the role.
It is not required that an ET be appointed. The board has the power to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Executive Team, or a combination of the two. Executive Teams (without a CEO) have been established by the UK's largest bona fide worker co-operative (Suma Wholefoods) who elect an ET comprised of six members who perform managerial duties for one day a week, and resume their non-managerial duties for the remainder of the week. Similar accounts have been given in student work from the voluntary sector where the fortunes of the organisation improved dramatically when a CEO was not replaced and their role was assumed by pairing board members with executive managers in each area of organisation development, and having joint board/executive meetings for co-ordination.
Social Enterprise Europe Ltd provides advice on an approach to governance where Board responsibilities are distributed to defined committees, and every working member negotiates which two committees they will contribute to. This has the effect of distributing executive responsibility to members who work in pairs and report to relevant Board Committees. This approach maximises member participation in governance and management.
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