Empresa de participação comunitária: aspectos teóricos e práticos

Abstract

The objective ofthis work was to understand and explain the theoretical and practical aspects of the Community Participation Companies (EPC), and their importance as an auto-sustainable development mechanism in the generation of work and income for the communities, via a case study accomplished at ESPRI S.A., a company located at the city of Cotia, SP. We tried to understand the nature and the functioning ofthe company, its structure and organizational relations, under the institutionalist perspective, through the focai broadness found in the influence forces of the environment, as well as through the approach of the Cooperation Networks and Solidary Economy concepts. As this was a qualitative research, data was collected through bibliographic and document research, non-participant observation and semistructured interviews. Thirty-eight individuais were interviewed: SEBRAE/SP technicians, directors of Participation Companies and directors, employees and shareholders ofESPRI S.A. The study pointed out characteristics specific to the cooperation processes in the constitution and operation ofEPCs with reflexes on the managing activity. In the case of ESPRI S.A., we observed that the economical aspectsthat motivate the agents ofthe organization are mediated by the "culture of sharing", base of the theoretic conception of Communion Economy (EdC). The group of the creation and operation experiences of this kind of enterprise evidencesthe potential ofre-interpretation ofnew constitution processes and legitimization of managerial sections founded on the perspective ofsolidary economy. This kind oforganizational net represents a possibilitv of conjunctionofthe model ofcompanies constructed as anonymous societies with administration processes typical ofcooperative associations.