Cooperative Governance, Leadership and Innovation in Hybrid Enterprise

Four Days (32 Hours) In-Person in Davis, CA August 17–20, 2026

Cooperative Governance, Leadership and Innovation in Hybrid Enterprise

A person draws a tree diagram with the word "CUES" on a whiteboard while explaining to another person; a presentation is displayed on a screen in the background.

The Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation (ICCI), in partnership with the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, invites you to an intensive four-day executive residency. Designed specifically for the stewards of cooperative businesses and other hybrid enterprises, this program bridges the gap between traditional business excellence and the unique demands of member-owned governance.

Conventional management tools, like traditional business education, are overwhelmingly designed for enterprises whose ultimate responsibility is to shareholders. Cooperatives and hybrids differ from traditional businesses because their responsibility is not just to shareholders, but also to members (as in a purchasing cooperative or buying group), residents (as in a public utility’s service area) and/or employees (as in a worker cooperative). This structural difference has implications that trickle down to every part of an enterprise, from marketing to financing. Our program empowers leaders to balance member-owner accountability with market innovation, cultivate skills to engage with all types of stakeholders, innovate new products and services and secure needed sources of capital.

Join the inaugural cohort and master the legal, financial and governance architectures unique to the cooperative model. At the same time, connect with mentors and build your network with fellow executives, management staff and board members of hybrid enterprises.

This program leverages original case studies and emerging best practices from top-performing hybrids to inform the curriculum, which includes topics in law, finance, marketing, leadership, innovation and board and member engagement. Participants in this curated experience will earn a digital certificate at the end of the four days.

Program Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Bolster their existing management skills with those required for participatory enterprises
Integrate leading-edge cases in cooperative governance, leadership and innovation
Articulate how the demands of hybrid ownership trickle down to affect different parts of a business
Cultivate stakeholders to assert their needs
Leverage a network for ongoing cross-sector collaboration and stronger ecosystems

Faculty

This program draws on the expertise of UC Davis Graduate School of Management faculty, including Andy Hargadon, Kim Elsbach, Michelle Higgins and Stephen Garcia. It also incorporates leadership in cooperative research from ICCI, including Professors Keith Taylor, Amelia Miazad, Anne Visser and Seth Frey, as well as consultants Adam Schwartz and Rich Morris. The program blends theoretical frameworks with practical tools and real-world case studies to help participants take their hybrid enterprises to the next level.