The problem is the solution: Can permaculture management regenerate social economy enterprises?

Alexandrine Lapoutte (1)

1 COACTIS - COnception de l'ACTIon en Situation

We consider the degeneration of social economy enterprises (SEEs) and develop a thesis that SEE regeneration may be inspired by living systems. Within the paradigm of living organizations,we propose an approach inspired by permaculture. This study’s purpose is to understand how SEEs might apply permaculture principles for their regeneration. We identify the main degeneration issues in SEEs. We then present the permaculture approach through its theoretical background, application to living organizations, and core design principles. Finally,we show how permaculture relates to management models appropriate for alternative organizations, and we underline specific links with degeneration issues in SEEs. We make a theoretical contribution by binding two distinct conversations: permaculture management and SEE degeneration. Thiswork also provides an original framework for future empirical research.

Keywords: complexity, living organizations, organizational design, permaculture, regeneration, SEE

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences

Alexandrine Lapoutte. The problem is the solution: Can permaculture management regenerate social economy enterprises?. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 2020, 91 (3), pp.479-492. ⟨10.1111/apce.12278⟩. ⟨hal-04043323⟩