The practice of governance in cooperatives: is it possible to strengthen?

Abstract

Unlike organizations that aim to maximize economic returns, cooperatives, through collective ownership and democratic management, seek to value the human being. Despite these differences, like any other organization, cooperatives need to be managed. For the directors elected by the Assembly of cooperative members to lead the enterprise to success, it is necessary to adopt management tools, such as the implementation of good governance practices. Such practices are based on transparency, accountability, equity and corporate responsibility. In view of the above, this investigation sought to examine the results of a study that diagnosed the challenges to the implementation of a governance model in the Unimed cooperative network. This is an explanatory research, guided by a qualitative approach. The results reveal that the governance practices in Unimed's cooperative network are in their initial stages, but it has been found that the dissemination process has taken place. The main challenge lies in following principles such as participation, which are a key factor in governance and are at the basis of the cooperative doctrine itself.