This article relates to the field of studies in governance, particularly as applied to non-profit organizations. It addresses the governance concept in multi-knowledge areas and under various theoretical perspectives. In general, the strong influence of the agency theory imparts to the term the meaning of control practices towards a higher organizational efficiency. It contains, however, alternative approaches that consider governance as an analytical category associated with concepts such as participation, alliance, collective learning, regulation of and facilitation to decentralized and democratic organization structures. Governance structures are organizational identity building mechanisms. In this connection, the collective entrepreneur concept offers an important contribution to the development of a participating and democratic structure (Malo, 2000), as one could conclude from the Doutores da Alegria case study. The discussion provides propositions stemming from the comparison between theoretical sources and an in-depth study of the alternative approach. The results conduce toward the explanation, evolution and criticism of the concept.
governance; non profit organizations; collective entrepreneurship; shared power
