Building Community Trust Through Cooperatives: A Case Study of a Worker-Owned Homecare Cooperative

Abstract

Trusting relationships bind people together. Building community trust is increasingly being identified as a viable strategy for improving the well-being of community members. This article explores how cooperatives build trust among worker-owners as well as with their clients and other professionals. It reviews theoretical and empirical perspectives on trust and cooperatives. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, document review and a survey. It was observed that cooperatives provide regular contacts among members, and between members and their clients and professionals during training, conferences, task oriented committees, general membership meetings, and social events. This fosters shared understanding, empathy, openness, and confidence, which in turn promotes the building and maintenance of deeper and wider trust.

KEYWORDS:

• cooperative business
• worker-owned cooperatives
• participation
• interaction
• trust

Authors would like to acknowledge the Caring Home Services membership for their tremendous support during the study, and the contributions of all the people who reviewed this article. Research was funded through the Urban Cooperative Initiative at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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