Professionalization in welfare-oriented civil society organizations: Comparison of board chairs and executive directors concerning motives for engagement and leadership ideals

Abstract

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.