“Continually Questioning our Work”. ​Working together is the theme of the World Goetheanum Forum 2019

Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland, 20 September 2019

“Continually Questioning our Work”
Working together is the theme of the World Goetheanum Forum 2019

Many companies and institutions are turning away from organizational structures with a pyramidal hierarchy. At the World Goetheanum Forum 2019, practical experience with new forms of collaboration and cooperation will be exchanged and discussed. Among the contributors: the CoOpera Collective Foundation, Switzerland.

“It is important to be continually questioning our work.” Says Daniel Maeder, Managing Director of the CoOpera Collective Foundation PUK, a Swiss pension fund for companies, artists and freelancers. “We ask ourselves: What can we change?” The hope is that new ideas will emerge through the exchange that occurs in CoOpera committees including the Foundation Board and Investment Committee and the 14 employees. Every Monday, staff find inspiration for this in books such as ‘Barometer of Progress. The Laws of Social Life’ by Rudolf Steiner, ‘Solidarity Economy: Responsibility as an Economic Principle’ by Matthias Wiesmann, or ‘Conflict Capability Instead of Argument or Aversion to Conflict’ by Friedrich Glasl. In addition, the goal is to achieve the greatest possible transparency with regard to operational business processes and the question of wages. It is important that all employees are equally informed and thus able to exercise judgement – the basis for independent and responsible action.

The CoOpera Collective Foundation was established in 1984 in response to the introduction of the second pillar in Switzerland‘s pension system in 1985: “The objective of CoOpera is not only that money accumulate, but that it flows back into the real economy”, says Daniel Maeder. CoOpera does not see itself as an investor, but as a consultant and problem solver: “Capital is meant to serve and not dictate.” CoOpera therefore does not seek majority shareholdings; if a company asks for a majority shareholding, representatives of CoOpera may sit on the Board of Directors. Today, CoOpera is affiliated with some 600 companies with 6800 insured persons and manages assets of 825 million Swiss francs.

(2019 Characters/SJ; translation by Bettina Hindes)

World Goetheanum Forum Inspired Cooperation and Collaborative Partnership (German, English), 27/28 September 2019, www.worldgoetheanum.org/en

Content Contributors Buurtzorg, Weleda, Ruskin Mill Trust, Demeter Switzerland, Goetheanum, Purpose Foundation, Eurasia Learning Institute, GLS Bank, CoOpera

Point of Contact Katharina Hofmann, association@goetheanum.ch