Year
2008
Authors
Abstract
This paper presents an action research conducted with the MACIF group. It explores the origins and consequences of the joint management of both “pure clients” and “members” in a mutual insurance group owning non-mutual subsidiaries. In the past decade, cooperative and mutual corporations have created non-mutual subsidiaries to enter new markets or to capture new market segments while maintaining their governance equilibrium at the “holding” mutual/cooperative level. These changes led to the growth of a “pure client” client base (clients linked to the mutual group only by a commercial relationship, via the non-mutual subsidiaries) and the decrease in numbers of the “members” client base (clients linked to the mutual group by a membership as well as a commercial relationship). At the same time, membership commitment is weakening, due to societal changes. This article proposes various management strategies to address this issue, assuming governance structures and rules remaining unchanged. It namely shows that Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable business as well as community involvement strategies are key levers that cooperative and mutual companies can use to both increase participation of “pure clients” in the mutual life (leading these clients to become members along a gradual “commitment path” related to community and social concerns) and enhance commitment of “members”, without jeopardizing the specificities of their status.This paper presents an action research conducted with the MACIF group. It explores the origins and consequences of the joint management of both “pure clients” and “members” in a mutual insurance group owning non-mutual subsidiaries. In the past decade, cooperative and mutual corporations have created non-mutual subsidiaries to enter new markets or to capture new market segments while maintaining their governance equilibrium at the “holding” mutual/cooperative level. These changes led to the growth of a “pure client” client base (clients linked to the mutual group only by a commercial relationship, via the non-mutual subsidiaries) and the decrease in numbers of the “members” client base (clients linked to the mutual group by a membership as well as a commercial relationship). At the same time, membership commitment is weakening, due to societal changes. This article proposes various management strategies to address this issue, assuming governance structures and rules remaining unchanged. It namely shows that Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable business as well as community involvement strategies are key levers that cooperative and mutual companies can use to both increase participation of “pure clients” in the mutual life (leading these clients to become members along a gradual “commitment path” related to community and social concerns) and enhance commitment of “members”, without jeopardizing the specificities of their status.
SIBIEUDE, T. et VIDAL, R. (2008). Enjeux et perspectives du sociétariat des groupes mutualistes complexes face aux stratégies de développement à l’échelle groupe : quelques enseignements du cas du groupe MACIF. ESSEC Business School.