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Toward an Organizational Theory of Membership Structural Design

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  • Gray, Thomas W.
  • Butler, Gillian

Abstract

Various events have led to the development of highly complex cooperative operations and to concepts for understanding operations. However. development of membership structures and concepts for understanding these structures has lagged. This paper imports organizational design and contingency theory into the member control literature. Membership structure is understood as organization-like, producing a service (Le., member control). Member control structure is understood as having three aspects (representation, policy making, and oversight) and two environments (the members themselves, and management and operations). Building from cooperative principles and following the development of cooperatives from simple to complex organizations, this paper develops a series of axiomatic propositions for understanding and designing membership structure. Only some of the propositions are testable, and still others are meant only to give continuity and relevance to the propositions as a group (as a theory). Such work should help develop a language for understanding and furthering discussion and research of membership structure and member control in agricultural cooperatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Gray, Thomas W. & Butler, Gillian, 1994. "Toward an Organizational Theory of Membership Structural Design," Journal of Agricultural Cooperation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, vol. 9, pages 1-15.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:joagco:46401
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.46401
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gray, Thomas W., 1988. "Structuring for Member Control in Large Cooperatives: A Case Study in Dairy," Research Reports 313052, United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.
    2. Butler, Gillian, 1988. "Designing Membership Structures For Large Agricultural Cooperatives," Research Reports 279804, United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.
    3. Gray, Thomas W., 1991. "Membership: an Organizational View," Research Reports 52016, United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.
    4. Dunn, John R., 1988. "Basic Cooperative Principles and Their Relationship to Selected Practices," Journal of Agricultural Cooperation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, vol. 3, pages 1-11.
    5. Gray, Thomas W. & Butler, Gillian, 1991. "Charting from within a Grounded Concept of Member Control," Journal of Agricultural Cooperation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, vol. 6, pages 1-20.
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