The Challenge of Sharing Absolutely Everything: The Case of Le Manoir, an Income-Sharing Intentional Community

Description

The Challenge of Sharing Absolutely Everything: The Case of Le Manoir, an Income-Sharing Intentional Community: Abstract

This three-part case focuses on Le Manoir, an income-sharing intentional community in the Gaspésie region. A self-managed, self-sufficient community, Le Manoir is run by people striving to implement an alternative lifestyle based on pooled time and resources rather than personal ownership. The case highlights the challenges faced by the community, notably that of reconciling personal and group interests, that is, ensuring both the survival of the community and the individual well-being of its members.

Teaching objectives

• Introduce students to the issues and problems related to running an ecological and social transformation project.
• Help students understand what distinguishes Le Manoir from the dominant institutions of modern society.
• Introduce students to a community’s operating rules regarding decision making, work, and resource allocation.
• Trigger thinking about the consequences of a communal lifestyle using conceptual diagrams that compel reflection on the individual-community duality.

Main themes covered

• Social innovation
• Implementation of collective projects and ecological social change projects
• Organizational identity and culture
• Sustainable degrowth

Multi-part case

• Part A: Another world is possible
• Part B: Crisis management (included when buying a teacher license only)
• Part C: A few months later (included when buying a teacher license only)

Additional information

Also available in French.

Teachers’ notes are available for university teachers only. Please contact the HEC Montréal Case Centre.