This paper investigates the macroscopic behaviour of an axially loaded discrete granular system from a stability perspective. The granular system comprises uniform grains that are elastically connected with some bending and shear interactions and confined by some elastic supports. This structural system can then be classified as a discrete repetitive system, a lattice elastic model or a Cosserat chain model. It is shown that this Cosserat chain model is exactly tantamount to the finite difference formulation of a shear-deformable Timoshenko column in interaction with a Winkler foundation. The buckling of the discrete column with pinned ends is first analytically investigated through the resolution of a finite difference equation. The solution is compared to a nonlocal approach derived by continualizing the discrete problem. The approximated Timoshenko nonlocal approach appears to be efficient with respect to the reference lattice problem and highlights some specific scale effects. This scale effect is related to the grain size with respect to the total length of the Cosserat chain. Finally, the paper shows the key role played by the shear interaction in the instabilities of granular structural system, especially when the bending interaction can be neglected.