Bud Caddell founded NOBL, a worker collective consulting firm in 2014. Worker collectives make decisions by practicing direct democracy versus electing a board of directors. In NOBL’s case, decisions are made by a broad consensus structure of all employees and operates with little hierarchy. NOBL’s four locations have local authority, and everyone has a stake in the company. Twice each year NOBL reboots by asking employees how things could be done differently, effectively creating a new company.

Joe Garrison co-founded worker cooperative, Blue Scorcher Bakery Café 15 years ago in Astoria, Oregon. The co-owners wanted equal ownership and decision-making by consent which led them to Sociocracy. A small group mandate has all decision-making members of an organization organized in circles. “Lead-do-measure” allows circle members the autonomy to decide the best way to achieve their goals with outcomes measured. The process is iterative and allows for goal reassessment as part of the process.

Leslie Watson works for a cooperative of consultants whose co-op clients are primarily in the natural foods sector. By definition, “a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.” Leslie discusses why cooperatives, and their community focus, are increasingly viewed as alternatives to the economic models of capitalism and socialism.

What happens when a company transitions from a traditional business model to one with distributed authority? At Covert.com this brought work to the forefront and allowed it to guide the organization’s structure and management process. Morgan Legge shares her experience as a Holacracy Bootstrapper and the benefits and challenges of a model that allows individuals and teams to self-manage while staying aligned with the organization’s purpose.

We will explore if different business and organizational models create more activating dynamics for teams and individuals. Today, cooperatives are being reconsidered. Holacracy is more than a fad, and Sociocracy is being embraced. Although credit unions have been around since 1849, they remain an innovation in the financial industry. Nothing is pure as some pursue a blend. We will engage with the leaders and experts of these unique models and explore the leadership challenges and outcomes.

How do you create a more diverse tech industry with greater numbers of empowered women?

According to Debbie Forster, you stop talking about it and take action by engaging companies to recruit women to tech, collect data, and share best practices. Debbie co-founded Tech Talent Charter which now includes 300 organizations of all sizes and sectors intent on achieving greater diversity. Best practices allow these organizations to learn from one another and improve the diversity of their workplaces.

Phim Her is a Hmong-American refugee who uses art and design to impact sociocultural innovation. Her interests are in helping people from diverse backgrounds become empowered, have a voice, and find a path forward in the design industry. She teaches young designers professional development and the importance of finding mentors, allies and advocates at their workplace. Phim believes “we must move from the talking about the world of design to talking about the design of the world.”

Christine McCarey has developed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for her former employer, RetailMeNot, and her own consultancy, Impact DEI. Describing the terms: diversity is “invited to the party,” equity is “playlist picks for everyone,” and inclusion is “asked to dance.” All three work holistically to create a fully diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Christine discusses a range of DEI topics including leadership buy-in, data grounding, and generational differences.

Michaela Ayers shares her experiences on diversity and inclusion as a lead with the Diversity Task Force at Payscale, a compensation research company. Goals include teaching people the language needed to talk about inequities and ensuring everyone feels safe to bring their whole selves to the workplace. As a Millennial leader, Michaela blends work and community inclusion initiatives through Nourish, her social impact organization. Nourish brings people into a community conversation about race.

Dr. Dolly Chugh discusses research on the psychological constraints on the quality of decision-making with ethical import, a phenomenon known as "bounded ethicality." She has special interest in unintentional forms of unethical behavior. Dr. Chugh’s research shows that accepting we’re not always good is necessary for growth. So, it’s better to be “goodish” than good. She discusses being aware of bias, diversity, inclusion, privilege, and acting intentionally on that awareness in everyday life.