Cooperative Cooperation: Being, Doing, and Becoming

Context: the consolidation of an economic system based on competition has not eliminated the importance of cooperation for life in society, or the continuing emergence of cooperative organizations, even in a hostile environment. Why do they continue to emerge? What are their possibilities? What happens when they are developed? Objective: to comprehend, in theoretical terms and on the basis of existing research, the cooperation phenomenon, especially that which inspires cooperative organizations. Methodology: the research employed a systemic and complex conception of the cooperation phenomenon and of its object of study, developing a qualitative, interpretative, and reflexive discussion according to three themes: being, doing, and becoming. Results: Cooperatives, as human organizations, go through an evolutionary process, suffering the inherent problems of administration and maintenance of democracy. To face the degenerative process, it is necessary to rethink cooperative management based on systemic theories and self-reinforcing cooperative identity. Conclusion: cooperation is fundamental for life in society, which explains the fact that cooperatives continue to emerge even in the midst of a hostile environment. Contrary to what has been disseminated, we are not only competitive, we are also cooperative and our knowledge needs to be urgently reconstructed.