Expressing identity in mission statements: a case of Polish social cooperatives

Resumen

The rise of social cooperatives can be related to the blurring of boundaries between sectors in the modern economy and the creation of hybrid organizations, which combine different rationalities in their activities. Despite the defined legal form, they can still express their organizational iden-tity in a variety of ways - adopt a more social or a more market orientation. One of the forms of expression of organizational identity is a declaration of mission, which includes, among others, basic values.
The aim of the article is to: a) identify the types of mission statements in Polish social cooperatives; b) identify the values contained in the mission statements of Polish social cooperatives; c) determine whether the identity of an enterprise, social organization or mutual-support group prevails in Polish social cooperatives.

For the purposes of the research, the contents of the missions of social cooperatives registered in Poland were analysed. 99 missions were identified and analysed using the IRAMUTEQ program. At a later stage, an invitation to participate in the survey was sent out to the 99 social cooperatives whose missions were being researched. The invite was addressed to the managers.

The conducted analyses point to the existence of three main elements in the identity of Polish social cooperatives. The first, and the most developed one, is a social element related to the organ-ization’s orientation towards solidarity and its responsibility for the work and social integration of persons at risk of social exclusion, focus on beneficiaries and on their comprehensive service. This identity is related to high prioritization of such value as education. The second exposed element of identity is related to economic activity. The organizations in question see themselves as enterprises that should provide high-quality products and focus on customer satisfaction. This identity is related to values such as professionalism and work engagement, focus on employees and work safety. Matters related to business growth and competition, as well as values such as research and development, growth, product superiority, focus on competitors or company success are much less exposed. The third, least exposed area of identity has to do with responsibility for the environment and is associated with activities undertaken for the sake of community and envi-ronment.
The analysis of the mission statements was supplemented with an analysis of case-specific data obtained in the questionnaire research. Two identities were predominant: enterprise and social organization, while the identity related to community affairs was marginalized.