Análise do grau de inovação das cooperativas localizadas no Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento das Missões/RS

Abstract

The competitive dynamics of the market demand that organizations, including cooperatives, are constantly seeking strategies to gain a competitive advantage over rivals and ensure their sustainability. Thus, innovation emerges as an essential element for organizations, regardless of the sector in which they operate. In this regard, it is crucial to innovate and analyze the degree of innovation in actions carried out by cooperative organizations, as they assist in social and economic development. Besides generating value for products, they are capable of enhancing income and employability in the region where they are located, meeting economic, social, and cultural needs through a democratic organization. Given this context, the general objective of the research was to analyze the organizational innovation level of cooperatives located in the COREDE Missões of the Rio Grande do Sul State. For this purpose, a quantitative approach of applied nature with exploratory and descriptive objectives was adopted as the methodology. The technical procedures involved conducting field research through the adaptation of the Innovation Radar tool (questionnaire), originally developed by authors Sawhney, Wolcott, and Arroniz (2006), Bachmann, and Destefani (2008), resulting in the Cooperative Innovation Radar tool (RICOOP), which aims to measure the degree of innovation, especially in cooperative organizations. The research subjects were the 18 managers/legal representatives of the 18 parent cooperatives, located in the COREDE Missões of the RS state, who agreed to participate in the study. The results demonstrate that, overall, the analyzed cooperatives achieved a medium level of innovation of 3.2, being classified as occasional innovators, as they showed significant efforts to develop innovative actions in the last three years. Additionally, it was evident that cooperatives directed their efforts towards innovative initiatives, especially in the dimensions of relationship and cooperative/customers, which reached the highest averages: 4.2 and 4.0, respectively. These actions are manifested through the creation of more welcoming spaces for service, the use of technological resources for interaction, collection of information about the needs of cooperative/customers, launching of new products/services to meet identified demands, and exploration of new markets/niches. Despite advancements in these areas, other important dimensions such as brand, innovative ambience, value aggregation, and presence still have low scores, meaning they are less explored by cooperatives. Furthermore, it was observed that cooperatives in the credit and health sectors achieved higher innovation averages, with scores of 4.2 and 4.1, respectively, standing out as the two sectors with the highest performance. In this perspective, the research provided relevant contributions to cooperatives located in the COREDE Missões of RS, offering valuable insights into the innovation level and guiding the formulation of strategies for areas requiring improvement. This information is crucial for directing innovation efforts and optimizing resources. As future perspectives, it is recommended to conduct case studies on cooperatives that have stood out for their innovative practices, compare innovation between regions or states, and conduct qualitative research to explore the perceptions and attitudes of leaders and members of cooperatives regarding innovation.