van Wichen, Linde (2022) Who is the Captain? Master thesis, Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SE).
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Abstract
Collaboration and leadership can contribute to the transition towards sustainability. Business forms based on collaboration are cooperatives, the number of active cooperatives increased, and most are active in the agricultural sector. A cooperative is characterized by board members and cooperative members. When a cooperative is small these two groups form one. The case study that is used in this research is a small sustainable cooperative in the north of the Netherlands active in the agricultural sector (fishing industry) and where board members are cooperative members too. This research aims to understand the role of leadership in small sustainable cooperatives. Therefore, it is investigated how leadership in cooperatives contributes to the transition towards sustainable business models by means of three leadership tasks. These three tasks are setting direction, creating alignment, and maintaining commitment. This study took a qualitative single case study approach. Six interviews were conducted with stakeholders of the cooperative and meeting minutes are analyzed to get insights into the decision-making processes. It became clear that leadership tasks are shared. However, one person is seen as the leader by the stakeholders (members and external stakeholders) of the cooperative and also by the leader himself. The leader practices tasks that no other member wants or can fulfill, and this makes him indispensable. In short, leadership can contribute to the transition towards sustainable business models in the fishing industry by collaboration. One person as an indispensable actor is seen as a weakness and therefore does not contributes to the transition towards sustainable business models in the fishing industry. This research contributes academically because the information from current leadership research also applies to cooperatives and shows that size influences decision-making processes. The limitation of this research is the single and specific form of organization that is investigated. Further research can research how culture, region, personal characteristics, and gender influence leadership in a small group.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Faber, N.R. |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Sep 2022 09:22 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2022 09:22 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/214 |
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