Professionalization in welfare-oriented civil society organizations : Comparison of board chairs and executive directors concerning motives for engagement and leadership ideals
(2022) In Nordic Social Work Research- Abstract
- The implications of professionalization of civil society organizations have seldom been explored in relation to the governance structure of organizations’ and leaders’ different terms of engagement. This study draws on a survey targeting leaders of Swedish welfare-oriented civil society organizations (N. 140) and compares the motives for engagement and leadership ideals of two groups of leaders: board chairs, whose engagement in civil society organizations is largely on a voluntary basis, and executive directors, who are mostly employed full time as leaders. Sweden, characterized by a strong tradition of leadership ideals emphasizing voluntary commitment within advocacy-orientated civil society organizations, serves as a relevant empirical... (More)
- The implications of professionalization of civil society organizations have seldom been explored in relation to the governance structure of organizations’ and leaders’ different terms of engagement. This study draws on a survey targeting leaders of Swedish welfare-oriented civil society organizations (N. 140) and compares the motives for engagement and leadership ideals of two groups of leaders: board chairs, whose engagement in civil society organizations is largely on a voluntary basis, and executive directors, who are mostly employed full time as leaders. Sweden, characterized by a strong tradition of leadership ideals emphasizing voluntary commitment within advocacy-orientated civil society organizations, serves as a relevant empirical context for exploring the implications of professionalization. In fact, the shift in recent decades from advocacy to service, in the orientation of Swedish CSOs, and especially within the social welfare policy area, has placed greater emphasis on the need for professional employed staff. The results show that the motives and leadership ideals of the executive directors reflect ideals of professionalized civil society organizations compared to the board chairs, confirming the contrast between the traditional ideals of voluntary civic engagement and the career-oriented and employment-mediated managerial leadership role. The presence of two leadership positions entailing different grounds for engagement (voluntary vs. paid) and different motives and ideals, could be traced back to the combination of a still-strong popular movement tradition and increasing demand of professional skills. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/d0b39d01-ff62-41f4-b953-8aef5bc94d73
- author
- Lee, Jayeon LU and Scaramuzzino, Roberto LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-12-11
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Civil society organisations, Leadership ideals, Professionalization, Values, Swedish Welfare Model
- in
- Nordic Social Work Research
- pages
- 15 pages
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 2156-8588
- DOI
- 10.1080/2156857X.2022.2158916
- project
- Civil society elites? Comparing elite composition, reproduction, integration and contestation in European civil societies
- A neglected elite? Processes of elitization in Swedish Civil Society
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d0b39d01-ff62-41f4-b953-8aef5bc94d73
- date added to LUP
- 2023-01-10 13:14:03
- date last changed
- 2023-01-10 15:28:45
@article{d0b39d01-ff62-41f4-b953-8aef5bc94d73,
abstract = {{The implications of professionalization of civil society organizations have seldom been explored in relation to the governance structure of organizations’ and leaders’ different terms of engagement. This study draws on a survey targeting leaders of Swedish welfare-oriented civil society organizations (N. 140) and compares the motives for engagement and leadership ideals of two groups of leaders: board chairs, whose engagement in civil society organizations is largely on a voluntary basis, and executive directors, who are mostly employed full time as leaders. Sweden, characterized by a strong tradition of leadership ideals emphasizing voluntary commitment within advocacy-orientated civil society organizations, serves as a relevant empirical context for exploring the implications of professionalization. In fact, the shift in recent decades from advocacy to service, in the orientation of Swedish CSOs, and especially within the social welfare policy area, has placed greater emphasis on the need for professional employed staff. The results show that the motives and leadership ideals of the executive directors reflect ideals of professionalized civil society organizations compared to the board chairs, confirming the contrast between the traditional ideals of voluntary civic engagement and the career-oriented and employment-mediated managerial leadership role. The presence of two leadership positions entailing different grounds for engagement (voluntary vs. paid) and different motives and ideals, could be traced back to the combination of a still-strong popular movement tradition and increasing demand of professional skills.}},
author = {{Lee, Jayeon and Scaramuzzino, Roberto}},
issn = {{2156-8588}},
keywords = {{Civil society organisations; Leadership ideals; Professionalization; Values; Swedish Welfare Model}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Nordic Social Work Research}},
title = {{Professionalization in welfare-oriented civil society organizations : Comparison of board chairs and executive directors concerning motives for engagement and leadership ideals}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2156857X.2022.2158916}},
doi = {{10.1080/2156857X.2022.2158916}},
year = {{2022}},
}