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The challenges of managing across borders in worker cooperatives: Insights from the Mondragon cooperative group

The challenges of managing across borders in worker cooperatives: Insights from the Mondragon cooperative group

Authors :
Economía financiera II
Finantza ekonomia II
Bretos Fernández, Ignacio
Errasti Amozarrain, Anjel Mari
Economía financiera II
Finantza ekonomia II
Bretos Fernández, Ignacio
Errasti Amozarrain, Anjel Mari
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

This article explores the challenges that worker cooperatives face when they operate and manage people across borders. Drawing on qualitative research on two Mondragon multinational co-ops based on longitudinal data and in-depth interviews, we address the dilemmas raised by the multinationalization of co-ops through the establishment of subsidiaries abroad, and show the tensions surrounding the ‘cooperativization’ of foreign subsidiaries, that is to say, the reproduction of the cooperative organizational formula and the transfer of its idiosyncratic policies and practices to foreign subsidiaries. The main finding of the research is that, behind the instrumentalization of various institutional barriers by the managerial technostructure of the parent co-ops to justify the non-cooperativization of foreign subsidiaries, lie factors stemming from headquarters-subsidiary power relations, as well as from core co-op owner-members looking to protect their own interests. Indeed, a clear dissociation has been found between the Mondragon corporate discourse about the promotion of participation and democracy overseas, and the real practices that are operational within the foreign subsidiaries. The article also draws some practical imp

Details

Database :
OAIster
Notes :
The authors acknowledge financial support from the ‘Social Economy and Cooperative Law’ research group of the GEZKI institute [GIU17/052] in the University of the Basque Country., English
Publication Type :
Electronic Resource
Accession number :
edsoai.on1418067863
Document Type :
Electronic Resource