Communication Strategies in Agricultural Cooperatives - Theoretical Approach

Communication is an important element in the governance of organizations. In most research on the development and maintenance of successful cooperatives, effective communication with and between members is an ongoing issue. In cooperatives, or more specifically in agricultural cooperatives, subject of this study, inadequate communication strategies may be one of the reasons for organization failure. When inconsistent and ineffective, it offers a gap for disconnection between members and the organization. Some authors also argue that communication is an important mechanism able on improving the members' commitment to the cooperative. Despite this, agricultural cooperatives are somewhat slow to incorporate more diverse and effective communication strategies to reach their varied audience. The aim of this research is to explore the forms and communication strategies existing in agricultural cooperatives and the theoretical approaches used to analyze communication in these companies. It therefore consists of a theoretical study carried out through a systematic review of the literature. Thereby, it is intended to answer the following research questions: which communication strategies are adopted by agricultural cooperatives and which theoretical background gives raise to analyses regarding communication issues in these organizations?