Resumen

ALVARADO, Yajaira  y  PAZ, Dirmero. Elements of Strategic Thinking in Cooperative Businesses. Revista de Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2010, vol.16, n.3, pp.430-441. ISSN 1315-9518.

The objective of the article was to determine the strategic thinking elements present in the associates of cooperatives in the State of Zulia that work for PDVSA West. To this end, an empirical study was realized in which 23 service cooperatives enrolled in the auxiliary contractors’ registry (RAC-ACR) participated. For data collection, a questionnaire with 26 items using a multiple selection scale was applied. Results revealed that members of the cooperatives under study almost never consider strategic thinking as the application of judgment based on experience to determine future directions for the organization, for which the conscious use of managerial tools is required by the cooperativists; this is the most visible aspect of the presence of strategic thinking, inasmuch as it redefines and promulgates the mission, vision, philosophy, strategies, policies, objectives and values systems in a conscious manner. On the other hand, it was determined that members of the cooperatives analyzed act according to specific cultural patterns; therefore integration among their members for strategy design does not exist.

Palabras clave : Strategic thought; cooperatives; cooperative associates; oil sector.