O papel dos atores institucionais nas sociedades cooperativas à luz da teoria institucional

Abstract

This research helps to demonstrate how institutional theory, with an economic and social bias, connects to cooperative societies constituted by a group of people with similar social needs, mapping the various institutional elements that intertwine the actors in the sector. The method approached by the qualitative research made it possible to present narratives as an object of study showing the experience of institutional actors, who are professionals from different areas and segments representing government institutions, representatives, private companies, financial and academic institutions with issues related to the cooperative sector. Institutional actors bring, in their reflections, the concept of rules for the sector wrapped in cultural-cognitive elements. These actors play an important role in the expansion of cooperative societies, which can be strengthened if the sector has the same institutional support as the other categories that do not belong to it. During the research, the perceptions arising from differences in business strategies adopted by cooperative societies stand out due to the heterogeneity of informal institutions, which are permeated by the belief and culture that influence institutional structures, and also the decision-making of institutional actors. In addition to institutional values, the actors highlight the importance of cooperative societies fulfilling their mission, which arises from key issues such as agency conflict, impacting the sector's reputation. Finally, the analyzed elements that contribute to the strategic vision based on cooperative institutions and that can be expanded through future research in the light of institutional theory are listed.