{"title":"Enacted or idealistic co-operative values?","authors":"Sanna Saastamoinen, Anu Puusa","doi":"10.1016/j.jcom.2024.100248","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Co-operatives differ from other forms of business due to their strong values-based nature, but it is nevertheless recognized that there is a significant gap between international co-operative values and the practical management of co-operatives. According to the values base, management naturally requires that co-operatives as organizations have a common sensemaking of co-operative values. With this present research, we create a deep understanding of how the managers of large co-operatives make sense of the values related to the co-operative ideology. As a result of our qualitative empirical research, we present how Finnish managers of large co-operatives understand the values-based nature of co-operatives in two ways – enacted and idealistic – and construct an ideology of co-operatives around four values: equality, financial responsibility, democracy, and regional responsibility. At the co-operative level, the understanding of values is constructed as a shared, incongruous, partially shared, and contradictory sensemakings. The findings reveal that the values-based nature of co-operatives is recognized but that it is tense and fragmented, and we suggest strengthening management training and information to members to strengthen the unique identity of co-operatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":43876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management","volume":"12 2","pages":"Article 100248"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213297X24000193","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Co-operatives differ from other forms of business due to their strong values-based nature, but it is nevertheless recognized that there is a significant gap between international co-operative values and the practical management of co-operatives. According to the values base, management naturally requires that co-operatives as organizations have a common sensemaking of co-operative values. With this present research, we create a deep understanding of how the managers of large co-operatives make sense of the values related to the co-operative ideology. As a result of our qualitative empirical research, we present how Finnish managers of large co-operatives understand the values-based nature of co-operatives in two ways – enacted and idealistic – and construct an ideology of co-operatives around four values: equality, financial responsibility, democracy, and regional responsibility. At the co-operative level, the understanding of values is constructed as a shared, incongruous, partially shared, and contradictory sensemakings. The findings reveal that the values-based nature of co-operatives is recognized but that it is tense and fragmented, and we suggest strengthening management training and information to members to strengthen the unique identity of co-operatives.