Relational Governance in Recycling Cooperatives: A Proposal for Managing Tensions in Sustainability

Abstract This work proposes and tests a framework to better understand and assist the management of sustainability-related tensions within recycling cooperatives. The framework is based on a theoretical systematization of the Relational Governance construct (RG), which refers to the development of collective action mechanisms by a group itself, influencing the structure and dynamics of cooperatives. This framework was tested by means of interviews with members of a variety of recycling cooperatives, which are themselves parts of larger networks. The main proposition is that RG is the core process underlying networks that deal with tensions related to sustainability issues, guiding activities, decision-making, roles and the behavior of members of the network. This work contributes to the relevant literature by introducing an innovative way to manage tensions arising from networks’ sustainability issues, by means of the relational governance structure. The relevance of this article is in proposing a framework that offers a solution to manage the tensions within recycling cooperatives, based on the RG perspective. The framework was tested in four Brazilian networks that work with recycling. An indicator matrix presented in this article represents the methodological and managerial contributions of this study. This matrix assists in evaluating cohesion and conflict resolution by members of cooperatives, based on the levels of the RG framework.