Sharing Like We Mean It: Working Co-operatively in the Cultural and Tech Sectors

Summary

A hybrid co-op primer and research report, Sharing Like We Mean It: Working Co-operatively in the Cultural and Tech Sectors is based on a survey of more than 100 co-operatives in Canada, the UK, and the US. It offers a snapshot of the co-op landscape in creative industries, explores what co-operative work can look like in practice, and features profiles of several worker co-ops.

The research reveals a small yet vibrant subset of co-ops in the cultural and tech fields, from co-operatively run art galleries to co-op advertising agencies, web development companies, architecture firms, coworking spaces, and ceramics studios.

The survey results confirm that the co-operative model is a promising strategy for mitigating individualized patterns of work, democratizing work relationships, and providing satisfying work in creative industries contexts. Co-ops are not a magic solution to systemic work problems. But the co-op model – in conjunction with other pro-worker policies and organizations – holds potential to democratically remake work in ways that have yet to be fully realized, or widely tested, in creative industries.