I found this article through the US Solidarity Economy Network.  It talks about the benefits and difficulties of running a coop.  It gives a little history and some real life examples.  It’s nice to see some examples of people who stopped complaining and started changing things.  Here is an excerpt:

Without exception, all the people interviewed for this story said the hardest thing about their jobs was learning to get along with others in an environment where no one — or everyone, really — is the boss.

For one thing, big decisions at these businesses must be made by consensus (that means everyone must agree that they can live with whatever is decided), and the only opportunity to do this is at monthly board meetings. Consequently, it takes a long time to get anything done. “It took us three years to write a book,” says Bruzoni, who co-authored The Cheese Board Collective Works along with several other members. “Anywhere else, it would have taken a year and a half, but we kept having to check with the coop.”