Abstract :
[en] Cecosesola is a worthy example of a broad-scale, long-lasting, self-managed cooperative. Created in 1967 and operating totally without any hierarchy since 1983, this Venezuelan umbrella organization integrates today around 50 communitarian organizations, 1,300 worker-members, 20,000 members, and 300,000 direct beneficiaries.
In a context where cooperatives, as enterprises based on social equality and self-management, have suddenly become of growing interest and where their democratic specificities make them the most quoted example of alternative form of organization, the in-depth study of an organization like Cecosesola is of significant relevance. Participatory processes can only be successful if implemented from the bottom, by organizations and individuals knowledgeable of their specificities, difficulties and uncertainties. Therefore, apprehending how Cecosesola sustains this high level of participation, after so many years of operation, with that many worker-members, and while running very different business units, provides valuable insights for better understanding the process of workplace participation and how it may be sustained over time.
First, the analysis shows that the structures and mechanisms necessary to sustain participation are interdependent and require one another in order to be effective. Then, it highlights that sustainable workplace participation does not only rely on the establishment of a set of structures and concrete elements (e.g. meetings, work standards...) but also on the implementation at the heart of the organization of several self-sufficient mechanisms (e.g. educative process, climate of reflexivity...). Next, this research shows that establishing a participative process does not only take time but also entirely relies on a delicate balance between values and practices, autonomy and coordination, personal initiatives and collective actions, capital creation and social mission alignment... Finally, the findings lead to a model for sustainable workplace participation relying on the double concept of Management by Collective Creativity and Collective Discipline.
