Mountain Equipment Co-Op: Can Democracy Work in a Large Co-Operative?

In 2011, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) faced the challenges of ever-increasing and stiff competition and wanted business savvy voices at the board table to navigate the coming challenges. As a successful, large co-operative, MEC also had to guard against unscrupulous competitors and others who cared little for MEC’s democratic governance but were happy to use it to their advantage. In short, the democratic governance structure, on its own, did not seem to offer an easy way of ensuring the right kind of people were elected to the board. Should MEC’s leaders opt for a less open, less democratic process to strengthen representation on the board? If so, what might be the costs of these changes for MEC?