---
title: "Episode 8: Five ideas leveraging the co-op advantage"
description: A conversation with Dr. Dionne Pohler on leveraging the co-op advantage. Listen to The Common Share on this site or your favorite podcast platform.
---

[Common Share](https://blog.cooperativesfirst.com)

# [Episode 8: Five ideas leveraging the co-op advantage](https://blog.cooperativesfirst.com/blog/2018/07/16/five-ideas-for-leveraging-the-co-op-advantage)

 Written by [Aasa Marshall](https://blog.cooperativesfirst.com/author/aasa-marshall) | Jul 16, 2018 10:05:31 PM

In this episode, Aasa sat down with [Dr. Dionne Pohler](https://dionnepohler.com/biography) to discuss her keynote speech from the Saskatchewan Co-operative Association’s 2018 conference. The keynote focused on leveraging the co-op advantage.

Dr. Pohler’s address touched on five big ideas that co-operatives should keep in mind, given the unpredictable social, economic, and technological atmosphere in which we currently live. Her five ideas are:

- Good governance is about more than strategic planning, oversight, and risk management
- Avoid falling into the “growth trap”
- The short-term business case for diversity is weak and it downplays the hard work required to foster inclusiveness in organizations
- Organizations need to embrace conflict
- Co-operation and self-interest are two sides of the same coin.

Dr. Pohler is an assistant professor from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, and a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan.

*Links mentioned in this episode*:

For a discussion about the co-operative principles and values, check out [Episode 2: *What makes a co-op?*](https://cooperativesfirst.com/blog/2018/04/13/new-podcast-what-makes-a-co-op/)

[International Co-operative Alliance co-op definition](http://old.ica.coop/en/whats-co-op/co-operative-identity-values-principles)

[Credit Unions: Definitely NOT Banking (thankfully)](https://cooperativesfirst.com/blog/2017/07/07/201777credit-unions-definitely-not-banking-thankfully/)

[Governance Challenges in Credit Unions: Insights and Recommendations](https://words.usask.ca/thinkingaboutcoops/2018/01/30/governance-challenges-in-credit-unions-insights-and-recommendations/)

[View full post](https://blog.cooperativesfirst.com/blog/2018/07/16/five-ideas-for-leveraging-the-co-op-advantage)

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