GOVERNANCE, BUSINESS DEMOCRACY
MONDRAGON’s governance model guarantees transparent decision-making, management and accountability to all members.
In a cooperative key
It is a democratic, inclusive business approach, with owner-workers participating in the management to create competitive, sustainable projects.
DEMOCRATIC ELECTION OF GOVERNING BODIES
All the people who participate on the governing bodies and in the management of the cooperatives are elected democratically. The elections are held in accordance with a one person, one vote system, regardless of the voter’s position at the company.
COOPERATIVE TRAINING
A very important aspect focused on reinforcing the model’s identity-based aspects and aiming to boost the all-round development of the people forming part of the project.
ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY
Cooperative governance is based on trust and a management ethic backed by cooperative vision and leadership, the use of internal staff promotion criteria and the approval of the management and results by all the members of each cooperative.
COMMUNICATION
The cooperatives have defined their own communication channels and supports to provide all the necessary information for their stakeholders: worker-members, supplier companies, customers and institutions. Internal communication at the cooperatives is very important.
THE MONDRAGON CONGRESS
650 representatives from all the cooperatives meet annually at the Congress. This body decides on the general guidelines or criteria governing MONDRAGON. The concept of “self-governance”, implemented through shared responsibility and the association of people within a working organisation, reflects the basic aspiration of cooperative governance.
A PROJECT WITH PRINCIPLES AND VALUES
The Cooperative Experience arose from values such as cooperation, participation, shared responsibility, social responsibility, self-imposed standards of excellence and innovation. Its principles refer to aspects such as democratic organisation (one member, one vote), sovereignty of labour (a fairer distribution of profit, in accordance with the work contributed), wage solidarity (on a scale of 1 to 6) or inter-cooperation (with mechanisms for solidarity and business efficiency).
MEMBERS OF GOVERNING BODIES
665 people are democratically elected as the members of the cooperatives’ governing bodies.
COOPERATIVE TRAINING
In 2021, 11,703 hours of cooperative training were given to new members and governing bodies.
UPDATED AND DOCUMENTED INFORMATION
31 cooperatives (accounting for 94% of sales) draw up annual reports that provide backing by documenting all the information, action and relevant landmarks in a single channel.