Organizing for good: cooperatives striving for equity, justice, and ecological well-being

What the paper says

Purpose A growing body of management research is investigating how organizations can provide solutions to major social and ecological issues. Scholars suggested alternative organizations, in particular those that prioritize community and democratic decision-making, as more effective in engaging with societal challenges. The purpose of this paper is to explore cooperatives and their capacity in addressing them. Design/methodology/approach By engaging with the United Nations’ resources and the grand challenges literature in management, the authors first identified the core issues underlying each sustainable development goal. Next, the authors looked for empirical research on cooperatives that engage with those specific social and ecological issues. The authors articulated patterns as to how cooperatives address them and grouped them under five themes. The authors also articulated struggles where cooperatives fall short in fully addressing the issues at hand. Findings Based on the analysis, the authors identified five fundamental ways that cooperatives commit to and facilitate addressing challenges: providing economic gains for the many; facilitating access to essential resources; focusing on long-term community well-being; prioritizing ecological well-being; and promoting cooperation and partnership for justice. While most research on cooperatives illustrates these capacities, the authors also noted other studies that show struggles in various areas, most importantly in reducing inequalities. Originality/value While there is growing research on grand challenges, the literature has not paid attention to cooperatives and their capacity in tackling them. This paper comprehensively engages with four types of cooperatives and articulates how they facilitate addressing social and ecological issues. The findings contribute to organization design and grand challenges literatures as well as offer implications for broader management research.