Organizing the study of degeneration and regeneration in worker cooperatives: A semi-systematic review from institutions to identity

Abstract

This semi-systematic literature review synthesizes 90 studies on degeneration and regeneration with a focus on worker cooperatives. It asks: How do formal structures and informal practices interact to amplify regeneration and degeneration, and how are these dynamics explained across research streams, geographical contexts, and discourses? Using the Deetz Matrix as a heuristic framework and PRISMA to guide the review process, four analytical dimensions of degeneration and regeneration are identified: institutional environment, organizational governance, organizational culture and leadership, and member identity. Future research directions grounded in methodological pluralism and pathways for more context-sensitive and practice-oriented scholarship on degeneration and regeneration are proposed. Degeneration is conceptualized not as linear but as a dynamic and paradoxical phenomenon formed by institutional trajectories, governance tensions, and fluctuations in member engagement. Regeneration arises through practices that reinforce democratic values, foster cultural alignment, and cultivate psychological ownership. Despite governance mechanisms, democratic resilience ultimately de pends on the interplay and alignment of structure, culture, and agency. The epistemological mapping shows a dominance of critical discourse and growing interest in ethnographic approaches. Significant gaps persist in the theorization of identity formation within worker cooperatives, considerations of institutional and historical specificity, and geographical diversification of studies on degeneration and regeneration.