CoopConnect: A Coop Eco-System to enhance connectivity and promote innovation in the Cooperative Enterprise sector

Building and sustaining an innovative environment is an integral part of building successful Cooperative and Mutual Enterprises (CMEs) in Australia. This report presents CoopConnect, an initiative to transform the CME sector by creating an innovative environment that will leverage CMEs’ distinctive capabilities. CoopConnect also proposes a branding exercise, whereby CMEs will broadcast their distinctive position as community oriented, sustainable and socially responsible enterprises. BCCM has been working closely with the Centre for Business and Social Innovation (CBSI) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to identify challenges and opportunities for innovation in CMEs in Australia. Eleven interviews with CME leaders, as well as five stakeholders in the sector, were carried out to understand current trends. Industries represented include finance, service and agriculture. Interviewees were asked to discuss the most relevant issues to them at the present moment and for the next 5-10 years focusing on challenges and opportunities for innovation in the sector. Each industry reported their own challenges along with the general challenges faced by CMEs. Common challenges identified were: CMEs are (unfairly) perceived as lacking innovation A need for more awareness of CMEs by consumers and potential business partners  A need to improve connectivity between CMEs The challenge of talent acquisition, both in hiring staff (who may have misconceptions about salary or working conditions) and attracting board directors The challenge and opportunities in starting a CMEAs well as examining the challenges, we also brought participants together to explore what some of the potential remedies to overcome these challenges could be.A recurring theme was that greater interconnectivity between CMEs would create advantageous synergies and pursuing this should be a priority for the sector. While BCCM can provide a generalised platform for best practice at a sector level, a marketplace that can connect CMEs with other CMEs can provide a more specific connectivity to potential business partnerships within specific regions and industries.