Co-direction, an alternative feminist mode of organization in the social economy: exploring practices and the potential for social transformation

Despite transformational aims, many social economy organizations (SEOs) adopt rather mainstream organizational structures. Typically, they are managed by a general manager, who is him/herself supervised by a board of directors. However, we observe an emerging, alternative organizing mode: that of co-leadership. In such cases, the general manager function and its associated responsibilities are shared between two (or more) people in various configurations. How do such models emerge? How do co-leaders organize themselves concretely? What are the pros and cons of co-leading? Through a qualitative exploratory study of eight SEOs in which co-leading was experimented, our research proposes answers to these questions, which were initially asked by practitioners. This approach then allows us to contribute to the literature on co-leading by presenting some particularities of SEOs, and further, to reflect on the potential for social transformation of an organizational social innovation.