Disclosing the Mechanism of Director Selection in Agricultural Cooperatives – A Case of Finland

This paper addresses the question of how chairmen describe and interpret director selection in agricultural cooperatives. The purpose is to disclose the mechanisms and to increase understanding of cooperative-specific features in director selection. The empirical case of the study consist of the sixteen largest producer cooperatives in Finland. The results indicate that chairmen approach the question from three dimensions, which are the processual, rational and social dimensions. Nomination committees are becoming increasingly common. Director selection is moving from lay thinking into a more professional direction.