Implementing strategic management in social economy organizations

Organisations are open systems in constant interaction with their environment. This environment is made up of various factors that organisations cannot control, but which can strongly influence them. It is therefore essential for organisations to analyse their environment in order to take advantage of its potential and protect themselves against its threats. To this end, strategic management is fundamental to guaranteeing their sustainability and positive social impact in the long term.This study aims to analyse the application of strategic management fundamentals in social economy organisations in Portugal. These organisations, such as cooperatives, associations, foundations and other non-profit entities, work with a focus on the common good, social inclusion and sustainable development - which makes strategic management even more important, as they need to balance social objectives with organisational efficiency.Based on a questionnaire survey of managers of social economy organisations in the central region of Portugal, this research aims to analyse the process of implementing strategic management in these organisations, to find out about the respective indicators, targets and monitoring processes, as well as to assess the implementation (or not) of improvement processes in the development and implementation of new strategies.Preliminary results show that managers are committed to planning and setting medium- and long-term objectives, but reveal some weaknesses when it comes to establishing alternative scenarios and assigning responsibilities for implementing the strategies defined. Some planning is also evident, but with weaknesses in redefining new strategies and involving employees, partners and the community in general.