Níveis de confiança na gestão de custos interorganizacionais: uma tipologia no contexto cooperativo agrícola brasileiro

Abstract

In an economic environment marked by uncertainty and high competitiveness, organizations seek strategies that ensure sustainable competitive advantages. Strategic cost management plays a significant role in this scenario. Thus, trust between partners emerges as a critical factor for the viability of interorganizational cost management practices. This study treats Interorganizational Cost Management (IOCM) as a strategic tool for cost optimization and the strengthening of interorganizational relationships, examining the relationship between its conditioning factors and trust. The primary objective of this research is to analyze how different levels of trust—configured by its dimensions and transaction attributes—influence the conditioning factors of IOCM in the relationships between agricultural cooperatives and their members, from the perspective of Transaction Cost Theory (TCT). To this end, variables related to trust (ability, benevolence, integrity, institutional trust, and rational trust), IOCM (commercial loyalty, cooperation, price, frequency, stability, and information sharing), and TCT (uncertainty, frequency, asset specificity, opportunism, and bounded rationality) were investigated. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews with four cooperative managers and 21 member farmers. Data analysis was performed using content analysis supported by Atlas.ti software. The results indicate that trust is a multidimensional construct that influences IOCM according to three proposed levels for relationships: Trusting, Trustworthy, and No Trust. It was found that at the Trusting level, there is bidirectional informational reciprocity and a reduction in monitoring costs. At the Trustworthy level, management is mediated by enabling mechanisms and formal safeguards, such as technical assistance and statutory transparency. Conversely, at the No Trust level, low commercial loyalty and the perception of opportunism predominate. It was established that the hybrid nature of the cooperative organization—by articulating market incentives, hierarchical structure, and democratic governance—promotes bilateral and institutionalized information sharing. Under this configuration, shared ownership and democratic governance act as risk reducers, allowing relational trust to partially replace traditional safeguards. The study contributes theoretically by proposing an empirical typology demonstrating that different levels of trust result in distinct governance and IOCM arrangements, reinforcing trust as a fundamental construct in the analysis of transaction costs in cooperative organizations. Furthermore, this research presents relevant practical implications for strengthening loyalty and governance in the cooperative environment. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that trust does not manifest dichotomously, but as a multifaceted and relational construct whose configurations vary according to the characteristics of the relationships and institutional arrangements. It was further concluded that it is not the generic presence of trust, but its level and configuration that modulate the perception of uncertainty, the risk of opportunism, and the necessity (or lack thereof) of formal safeguards.