MODULE 3b

4. Operational organisation

Cooperations can be loose experience-sharing groups or a community of interest up to a joint venture.

The following principle applies: the more intensive the cooperation, the higher the regulation needs!

It is recommended to start a collaboration with a kind of "trial phase”. It should be smaller work and projects carried out together to find out if:

  • The "chemistry" between the partners is right.
  • The corporate philosophies match.
  • The communication works.
  • The employees of the partners understand each other • the project pays off financially.
  • There is a desire for closer cooperation in the long term.

CHECK OUT THE COFARM CASE STUDIES WHERE COOPERATION WAS IMPLEMENTED STEP BY STEP; EXEMPLARY: Dapont; The pantry of San Nicolás; IR.04; Cooperation of two autonomous family farms: parents and their daughter; Association “Group of producers of organic fruit”

In each cooperation, different partners work together to achieve the common cooperation goals.

A precise definition and distribution of roles, a description of the corresponding competences and responsibilities are essential for a functioning cooperation.

The following can be exemplary roles and tasks in a cooperation:

"Cooperation Coordinator":

He is the cooperation leader in the internal relationship and the official contact of the cooperation to the outside.

"Cooperation Secretary":

He supports the cooperation coordinator in all administrative procedures.

"Project Manager":

He is mainly responsible for the coordination and monitoring project execution.

For smaller cooperation projects, it is quite possible and usual that these tasks are taken over all only by one person.

CHECK OUT THE COFARM CASE STUDIES AND THE ROLE OF THE LEADING ENTREPRENEURS IN THERE!

By entering into a cooperation, basically every partner commits to contribute both material and financial resources to the cooperation and to actively participate in the development and implementation of the cooperation. In return, each partner expects to participate in the joint cooperation success.

You should keep an eye on open and clear communication about fundamental rights and obligations arising from the partnership and try to fix it.

  • Comprehensive information about interesting orders.
  • The inspection of the partners companies.
  • The use of customer contacts from the cooperation.
  • The use of the jointly developed results.
  • The use of the jointly acquired intellectual property.
  • Promote the interests of cooperation.
  • Avoid behaviour that harms the image of cooperation.
  • Strictly adhere to the agreed rules of the game.
  • Give the partners an insight into their own business and announce their own company information.
  • Contribute to the leadership costs of the cooperation.

Important for the cooperation success is the assurance of a immediate and regular flow of information between the partners. Regular coordination sessions of all partners support the care of the interpersonal relationships and serve the mutual information and motivation and give to all members the feeling of being involved.

In addition, however, especially in the operating phase cooperation a rapid and efficient communication between the partners must be ensured.

We recommend you to :

  • Use up to date information technology.
  • Use adequate (project)management software.
  • Build up a central storage for data.

Check out the COFARM Case Studies and the handling of communication in there!

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SELF-ASSESMENT

This questionnaire will allow you to evaluate the competences acquired by studying the module.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
CO-FARM: Enhancing COoperation amongst FARMing entrepreneurs
Project Number: 2016-1-IE01-KA202-016870

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