2026 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 102-109
This study examines how combinations of individual and organizational conditions shape organizational commitment of core members in specialized farmers’ cooperatives. Using survey data from 21 shiitake cooperatives in China, we apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify configurational pathways to high and low commitment. The results reveal two pathways to high commitment: one based on the complementarity between human capital and vertical integration, and another driven by large operating scale under limited external social capital. Commitment erosion occurs when individual resources exceed the cooperative’s structural capacity, leading members to seek external opportunities or experience dissatisfaction under insufficient returns. The findings point to a two-level logic of commitment formation, in which human capital serves as a necessary threshold, while the effects of individual resources depend on their fit with organizational capacity. These insights contribute to a configurational understanding of cooperative commitment and are relevant for smallholder systems facing structural constraints.
