1 - Jean Carlos da Silva Américo UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL (UFMS) - ESAN
2 - Silvia Morales de Queiroz Caleman UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL (UFMS) - ESAN
3 - Celina Martinez Georges UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL (UFMS) - PPGAD
Reumo
The occurrence of unexpected events of various natures around the world with impacts on organizations is often being observed. Currently, the Covid-19 pandemic is clear evidence of how an unexpected event affects global economies, certainly troubling numerous organizations, including those related to agribusiness. Uncertainties highlight the need for organizations to adapt to an increasingly volatile world. Such occurrences can represent important risks for companies that are not prepared (Starr, Newfrock and Delurey, 2003).
When compared to other companies, Birchall and Ketilson (2009), Borda-Rodriguez and Vicari (2013) and Franken and Cook (2019) found that cooperative organizations appeared to be more resistant in times of crisis and uncertainty. Conservative decisions in management and investments, the issue of commitment and loyalty of members in times of crisis, and the existence of social ties seem to be the reason why cooperatives are more resilient than capitalist companies (Birchall and Ketilson, 2009).
Specifically in Brazil, there are several cases of cooperatives that were not successful and had to be liquidated. An emblematic case is that of the Cotia Agricultural Cooperative (CAC). CAC was one of the largest cooperatives in the State of São Paulo that went into liquidation in 1994. In the late 1980s, the cooperative took on a large volume of debt due to the agricultural price crisis. As a result, farmers and all stakeholders had a significant impact.
Under the scope of this research, we consider that cooperatives that are or have been through a liquidation process are those that have not been resilient, whether in the face of any external turbulence or failures in their internal management or governance processes.
Our findings suggest that participation of cooperative members in assemblies, and qualification of the supervisory board are the main aspects for the explanation explaining of organizational resilience.
Therefore, our research aims to verify the association between governance and organizational resilience in agricultural cooperatives, considering that governance is essential for the continuation of business activities and for the development of a set of appropriate mechanisms and processes to promote resilience.