Liikuntaseura toimintaympäristössään

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify how the effectiveness of a sports club and its organizational environment are related to each other. Effectiveness was defined by five dimensions. The study of the organizational environment was concentrated on the specific environment. The significance of the environment was put into proportion using Daft’s four-factor model. In the empirical analysis, quantitative and qualitative data were utilized. The data on sports clubs included earlier collected survey material (n=835) and the environmental data was collected from information of the dubs' home municipalities (n=281) from statistical sources. In addition, qualitative data and information was gathered and multiple information from clubs similar in orientation and environment, but different with respect to effectiveness (n=18). The results showed that effectiveness varies cyclically in a club. A cycle takes from five to fifteen years. In analyzing the environment, the most fundamental distinction appears between an urban and a rural environment. These environments presuppose different steps from sports clubs. If we look at the whole field of sports dubs the significance of the environment in relation to sports dub effectiveness is not apparent except for the dimension of the realization of aims. The most important sectors are economical and demographical. The environment is not a determining external force to the clubs' activities except in certain limiting conditions. More essential is the environmental strategy of a sports club. Six different kinds of strategies were found: the strategy of withdrawal, the traditional strategy, the taking, receiving, giving and preparing strategies. When putting the significance of the environment into proportion it was observed that the structure of the club played even a smaller role, while management and human resources were significant effectiveness factors in voluntary organizations.