Strategic Management in Social Economy - an overview of Social Solidarity Cooperatives in Portugal

The increasing relevance of Social Economy organizations to societies is indisputable. Consequently, their future and survival becomes crucial. Since no organization can survive to the turbulence of the environment without a long term vision of its path, strategy is an essential pillar to its sustainability and sometimes survival, as well as mission accomplishment. In addition, the reliance on external sources makes these organizations compete for limited financial resources. Thus, they need an accurate strategic planning in order to clarify their future direction and create trust among the stakeholders. Conclusions from the study developed in an important group of social solidarity cooperative in Portugal reveal that despite recognizing its importance, these organizations miss some strategic procedures and long term perspective of their activity. They are mainly managed in the short term perspective. This lack of relationship between the long and short term can be overcome by developing the Balanced Scorecard.