From the first day of kindergarten we are taught to get along with others and work together. In the normal course of events, though, most kindergartners act more like Mike Myers in the famous Philip the Hyper Hypo Kid skit on SNL than Beaver Cleaver.

Of the many challenges and opportunities facing credit unions, none is more daunting than the topic of getting along with others and working together (a.k.a. “large-scale collaboration”). We’ve tried to break down these challenges in a recent research publication. I would be curious to hear people’s thoughts on a few things:

1. Are credit unions more like Philip (kinetically going out on their own) or the “Beav” (extremely cooperative) when it comes to collaboration? Which is more appropriate for today’s realities?
2. What do you see as the benefits and costs of large-scale collaboration?
3. Do you have good stories to share on credit union collaboration that aren’t widely known?

Filene is already conducting more research on the topic of large-scale credit union collaboration because we think it’s a pretty darn important topic for credit unions to consider in these changing and challenging times.

(Editor’s note from Brent: On a related – but completely unrelated – note: Eddie Haskell is speaking at an upcoming CUNA event. That’s all.)

George Hofheimer is Chief Research Officer for the Filene Research Institute, a think tank that investigates vital issues affecting credit unions and consumer finance. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Carrie and two boys Huck and Milo. He is a washed up marathoner and an over-ambitious soccer player.