The Role of Leadership in the Organization and the Administration of Women’s Agricultural Cooperatives in Greece: A Case Study

Lassithiotaki Aikaterini

doi:10.4236/ojbm.2015.31001

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of chairwomen in the organization and administration of Women’s Agricultural Cooperatives at the Prefecture of Heraklion, in the island of Crete, Greece. The aim of the research is to provide answers to the questions “how” and “why” the chairwomen affect the organization and the administration of cooperatives and it is focused on the administrative, social, cognitive, personal and entrepreneurial skills of chairwomen. The results of a qualitative study involving 12 chairwomen of rural women’s Traditional Food Production Cooperatives of the Prefecture of Heraklion indicated that their role was multiple and complex and it affected positively the organizational and entrepreneurial process of the Cooperatives. On the other hand, the research indicated that the chairwomen’s role did not differ significantly from the role of other members. Their role in the organization and operation of the Cooperatives is more managerial and less leadership.

Highlights

The entrepreneurial activity of the women’s agricultural cooperatives in Greece has been studied by many researchers
The members of the Administrative Councils of the women’s agricultural cooperatives are members of the cooperatives themselves, they are elected by the General Assembly and form the leadership of the cooperatives
The term “leadership” refers to the influence that an individual or a group has on other individuals or groups with the aim of manipulation for the achievement of their goal [4], while the ability of a leader is the ability to guide people in order to create things that they don’t consider they are able to create or they do not realize that these things should become real [5]

Summary

Introduction

The entrepreneurial activity of the women’s agricultural cooperatives in Greece has been studied by many researchers. Women’s agricultural cooperatives have contributed to the financial sector of mountainous or less favored areas, to the family rural income and to the self confidence of rural women. (2015) The Role of Leadership in the Organization and the Administration of Women’s Agricultural Cooperatives in Greece: A Case Study. The leadership of an organization or a company sets goals, plans their fulfillment, motivates the members of the group to pursuit these goals [6] and plays an important role in the orderly operation of the organization and the development of an entrepreneurial culture on the part of its members. The motives, the personality, the behavior, the potentials and the skills of the leaders affect the organizational operation and the success of an organization

Objectives

Results

Conclusion