The aim of this work is to develop an alternative evolutionary approach to assessing the performance of co-operative organizations. The focus of investigation is turned to the co-operative organization as a group of members in a market environment containing non-members. Significant unique features of the co-operative organization is illustrated at first. After reviewing historical aspects of evolution theories and their positioning in biology, economic and social sciences, alternative notions of evolution and the osmosis of ideas is suggested. Further on, a concept for the evolutionary function of exit, voice and acquiesce strategies in social contexts is developed analog to the biological concept of fight, flight or cope reactions. Leaning on the known social and group-psychological features of the co-operative organizations species, and on the assumption of membership rationality at the individual members level, a theory of exit, voice or acquiesce decisions, and the influence of the groups size on their results, is being introduced. A following empirical dynamic model will utilize the previous recognitions achieved, to demonstrate the effect of ommanent restrictions to group-growth. Moreover it is being proven, that the co-operative organization can still be considered as successive, in the populations ecological as well as in the social sense, even if it is not growing. A corrected approach to the utilization of group growth as indicator for co-operative performance is suggested as a result.
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