Järjestödemokratia ja ammatillinen johtaminen suomalaisten sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen myytteinä ja seremonioina

Abstract

Yhdistyslaissa korostuu toiminnan jäsenvaltaisuus. Toimintaympäristön muutos on kuitenkin johtanut ammatillistumiseen, ja palkattujen toimihenkilöiden asema on korostunut. Artikkelissa pohditaan, onko jäsendemokratiasta muodostumassa ammatillistuvissa järjestöissä myytti, jota pidetään yllä seremoniallisesti, kun järjestöjä käytännössä johtavat palkatut ammattilaiset.

The article examines the role of social and health associations as civil society organisations (CSOs) in Finnish society. In recent decades the main sources of public funding of social and health associations in Finland have called for a stronger managerial and professional orientation, with a welfare policy guidance focus. CSOs have thus found themselves under isomorphic pressure to adapt to the requirements of rationality and efficiency inherent in business and in the public sector. The article asks: How is the tension between the democratic nature of voluntary associations and their professional management resolved? Both quantitative and qualitative data are applied to answer the research question. According to our results, CSOs’ formal policies and managerial practices have begun to diverge. The decoupling between policies and practices is epitomised in the relation between senior officials and boards of associations. Senior officials have seen the scope of their responsibilities expand with the development of social and health associations’ institutional environment. Organisations have sought legitimacy for their activities from two conflicting directions: civic engagement and managerialism. One of the ways for organizations to cope with institutional change and uncertainty has been to adopt policies from other sectors. In many cases, civic engagement has become a myth and ceremony that is ritually maintained. At the same time, this development is at odds with current legislation on associations, which emphasizes the democratic nature of associations’ activities.