Participação dos Associados: Um Pilar Estratégico de Governança do Cooperativismo

Abstract

The present paper discussed aspects related to the mechanisms of governance applied in the cooperatives that make possible for the associates to participate in the strategic definitions and in the results monitoring. The research had a exploratory feature and a qualitative approach, adopting as a strategy of investigation the case study. The data were collected by a triangulation from the following sources: documental analyses, interviews with counselors and observation. The results highlighted that the acquisition of a satisfactory level of participation by the associates in the governance field is sustained in the principle of a democratic management, built from the methodology of community and spatial organization in small regions, which is assembled to the spaces of governance. This participative process allows a more effective interaction of the associates with the cooperative, strengthening the mechanisms of democratic control and direction. The research brought subsidies to the discussion of the importance of the associates participation in building policies and taking decisions, it also pointed out that the institutional arrangements of governance imply directly on the extension of the participation of the associates in the strategic management of the cooperative. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]