A team of researchers from Auckland University in New Zealand is undertaking a study into the innovation of Kiwi co-operatives. The country is home to 149 registered co-operatives, which play an important role in the economy.
The survey is funded by the IceHouse/University of Auckland Business School research Fund and will look at how contemporary Kiwi co-operatives operate and help improve their members’ competitiveness.
“Several high profile (NZ) co-operatives, such as Zespri (kiwifruit) and Foodstuffs (groceries), show that through strategies focused on added-value products or services, innovation and knowledge-sharing, they can successfully compete against large private sector organisations and multinationals. Yet, there are many misconceptions about just how innovative and entrepreneurial they are. We want to better understand the mechanisms that can make co-ops more competitive,” says Dr Frank Siedlok, one of the academics leading the project.
The researchers are inviting Kiwi co-operatives to fill-in the survey and share their experiences. Members who wish to participate can find more information at www.co-opinnovation.auckland.ac.nz or can contact Frank Siedlok f.siedlok@auckland.ac.nz and Lisa Callagher l.callagher@auckland.ac.nz.
“Current research is preoccupied with the structural aspects of co-ops, and fails to provide systematic research of the factors contributing to innovation and entrepreneurship. We want to move beyond structural explanations and show how co-ops are a viable business model that can work very well,” added Dr Lisa Callagher, who is also involved in the project.
Photo: Meat processing plant at The Alliance Group, a co-op among NZ’s leading exporters
