Balancing institutional logics - The struggle to keep identity in hybrid organizations

Abstract: The civil society is currently undergoing a transformation. We see that actors have moved from production of voice towards production of service, also that governance has transformed from being volunteer-run towards managerialization. Thirdly, we see a need for a more well-defined mission in order to gain support from the public sector, and finally, we are starting to talk about something called "half business, half charity". The new conditions have caused actors to change their operations. One such change is the increase of commercialization. We have studied how commercial pressures affect associations in the Swedish civil society's non-profit sector. Having one part in the non-profit sector while acting on the commercial market has created a multiple sector membership. These organizations are forced to handle different institutional logics as an everyday challenge. In this thesis, we conducted a longitudinal case study with two of Sweden's largest associations. Through performing 21 interviews with key representatives from the representative Management Teams and Board of Directors and gathering secondary information we ended up with five key events in each association. These events are representing tensions that arise when standing at a crossroad between a commercial and an ideological path. We found that internal anchoring and trend responsiveness seem crucial in strategic management, and to never let changes in the environment cause for mission drift that is not aligned with the core values. To transform with, rather than adapt to external pressures is necessary in order for the ideological purpose to be relevant in society. Finally, if structural or geographical aspects cause for distance, the associations' need to find other ways to create closeness towards their members.