The ambition of the conference is to federate the works of scholars in management who are interested in social and solidarity economy and to share knowledge with professionals of the sector.
This conference will be organized by the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE), the University of Lyon Business & Management School (Lyon 3), and the ESDES, the Management School of the Catholic University of Lyon.
Scientific collaborations are provided by the association for the development of documentation on social economy (ADDES), the Jacques Cartier Center, the IFROSS (Institut de Formation et de Recherche sur les Organisations Sanitaires et Sociales et leurs réseaux, training and research institute on health and social organization and networks) of Lyon 3 university and foreign universities: the Canada Research Chair on the Social Economy, UQAM, Québec University in Montréal and the Center for Social Economy, HEC management school of Liège University.
Social and Solidarity Economy represents today in Europe around 10% of total employment and even more in some countries such as France. With the economic crisis, the social, economic and political importance of this has grown. Management of cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations and associations is discussed both from the point of view of their owners with particular (socio-economic) motivations and from the view of their community and territories (relations with public partners and citizens). This is why the performance of those organizations necessarily holds a social or societal dimension. Managers of the social
and solidarity economy often have distinctive, hybrid and sometimes paradoxical operational logics and actions.
They not only question the divisions and the traditional frontiers of management but their associated models of rationality (public/private, merchant/non merchant, collective interest/individual interest…). In order to face this complexity, do the tools and principles of management have to be specific?
Do they initiate special managerial and social innovations? How to reconcile solidarity and efficiency in an increasingly competitive world? The evolution of markets and finance as sustainable development problems reshuffle the way companies function and their future.
The aim of the conference is to confront research works in management dealing with companies in the social and solidarity sector with needs and practices of theirs CEO and managers. The question is how to renew strategies and management models without renouncing the fundamental values and principles of the social and solidarity economy. The interest of disciplines closed to management (such as law, economy, history, philosophy, sociology…) for the understanding of companies’ management of the social and solidarity sector might be evaluated at this occasion.
This international conference focuses on 3 main themes: governance, management practices and the performance of companies of the social and solidarity sector (cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations…). It also will be the occasion to share knowledge and experiences with European and North American experts of the management of social and solidarity economy.