What makes Third Sector Organizations a Species of its own?
Laitinen, Hanna; Ruusuvirta, Minna (2019)
ISTR
2019
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe202002054678
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe202002054678
Tiivistelmä
In our paper we ask whether contemporary hybrid third sector organizations (TSOs) have distinctive
features that distinguish them from public and market organizations. By comparing the empirical results
of two separate research projects in relatively different organizational fields ‐ cultural festivals and
youth work ‐ we explore institutional logics among Finnish TSOs.
The public, market and third sectors are often regarded as relatively separate entities of society
with their own logics and roles. During the last decades, the boundaries between these three sectors
have been blurred and organizations become hybrids. Also TSOs have taken on approaches and
methods from the private and public sectors and become more commercialized, professionalized and
managerially managed, for example. This is sometimes seen as a risk to their distinctiveness as actors
of Civil Society.
Theoretically, the foundations of our paper are built on institutional theory and, more precisely,
the institutional logics perspective. According to this perspective, organizations and organizational fields
are characterized by multiple, often conflicting, normative orders and diverse claims from different
stakeholders. The plurality of institutional logics can result in various combinations of hybrid forms in
organizations. Empirically we base our findings on a multi‐methodological analysis of documents,
interviews and survey data collected from festival organizations and nationwide youth TSOs in Finland.
The main argument of our paper is that despite sectoral blurring and plural institutional
demands, distinctive third sector characteristics still play a significant role in how Finnish TSOs display
their tasks and operations. TSOs have many hybrid features and manifest various combinations of
institutional logics in their search of legitimacy. The results contribute to a better understanding of the
distinctive features of the third sector in Finnish TSOs and also more generally.
features that distinguish them from public and market organizations. By comparing the empirical results
of two separate research projects in relatively different organizational fields ‐ cultural festivals and
youth work ‐ we explore institutional logics among Finnish TSOs.
The public, market and third sectors are often regarded as relatively separate entities of society
with their own logics and roles. During the last decades, the boundaries between these three sectors
have been blurred and organizations become hybrids. Also TSOs have taken on approaches and
methods from the private and public sectors and become more commercialized, professionalized and
managerially managed, for example. This is sometimes seen as a risk to their distinctiveness as actors
of Civil Society.
Theoretically, the foundations of our paper are built on institutional theory and, more precisely,
the institutional logics perspective. According to this perspective, organizations and organizational fields
are characterized by multiple, often conflicting, normative orders and diverse claims from different
stakeholders. The plurality of institutional logics can result in various combinations of hybrid forms in
organizations. Empirically we base our findings on a multi‐methodological analysis of documents,
interviews and survey data collected from festival organizations and nationwide youth TSOs in Finland.
The main argument of our paper is that despite sectoral blurring and plural institutional
demands, distinctive third sector characteristics still play a significant role in how Finnish TSOs display
their tasks and operations. TSOs have many hybrid features and manifest various combinations of
institutional logics in their search of legitimacy. The results contribute to a better understanding of the
distinctive features of the third sector in Finnish TSOs and also more generally.