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Organizational Culture in Civic Associations in Russia

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Abstract

The organizational culture of nonprofit organizations is affected by the context in which they are embedded. Based on a qualitative study of local civic associations in Novosibirsk, Russia, this article illustrates how nonprofit organizational culture has been shaped by historical and contemporary social and cultural conditions. The fluid situation for civil society in Russia has generated varied organizational culture across nonprofits. Interview data reveal different value orientations, distinct group identities, and different images of the ideal civic association: as a social establishment, as an outlet for self-expression, as a network of experts, or as a social startup. This resulting diversity of organizational culture has implications for the potential for partnerships among nonprofits, between nonprofits and government, between nonprofits and businesses, and also for the organizational survival of nonprofits in this setting.

Résumé

La culture organisationnelle des organismes sans but lucratif est influencée par leur contexte. En se basant sur une étude qualitative d’associations civiques locales de Novossibirsk en Russie, le présent article illustre comment la culture organisationnelle desdits organismes a été façonnée par des conditions sociales et culturelles historiques et contemporaines. La fluidité de la situation de la société civile en Russie a favorisé la création de cultures organisationnelles variées parmi les organismes sans but lucratif. Des données tirées d’entrevues ont révélé la présence de différentes orientations des valeurs, d’identités de groupe distinctes et d’images variées de l’association civique idéale : comme institution, comme voie d’expression personnelle, comme réseau d’experts ou comme nouvelle entreprise sociale. Cette diversité a donc des implications sur les partenariats possibles entre différents organismes sans but lucratif, entre ces derniers et le gouvernement ou encore entre ces organismes et les entreprises, ainsi que sur la survie organisationnelle des organismes sans but lucratif dans ce contexte.

Zusammenfassung

Die Organisationskultur gemeinnütziger Organisationen wird von dem sie umgebenden Kontext beeinflusst. Beruhend auf einer qualitativen Studie lokaler Bürgervereinigungen in Nowosibirsk in Russland zeigt dieser Artikel, wie die Kultur der gemeinnützigen Organisationen von den historischen und aktuellen sozialen und kulturellen Bedingungen geprägt worden ist. Aufgrund der dynamischen Situation für die Bürgergesellschaft in Russland haben sich verschiedenen Kulturen in den gemeinnützigen Organisationen entwickelt. Interviewdaten offenbarten unterschiedliche Wertorientierungen, Gruppenidentitäten und Vorstellungen über die optmale Bürgervereinigung: als eine soziale Einrichtung, eine Möglichkeit zur Selbstentfaltung, ein Expertennetzwerk oder ein neues soziales Unternehmen. Die daraus entstehenden diversen Organisationskulturen haben Auswirkungen auf potenzielle Partnerschaften zwischen gemeinnützigen Organisationen, zwischen gemeinnützigen Organisationen und der Regierung und zwischen gemeinnützigen Organisationen und Wirtschaftsunternehmen sowie auf das organisatorische Überleben der gemeinnützigen Organisationen unter diesen Rahmenbedingungen.

Resumen

La cultura organizativa de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro se ve afectada por el contexto en el que están enclavadas. Basándose en un estudio cualitativo de asociaciones cívicas locales en Novosibirsk (Rusia), el presente artículo ilustra cómo las condiciones culturales y sociales históricas y contemporáneas han dado forma a la cultura organizativa de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. La fluida situación de la sociedad civil en Rusia ha generado una cultura organizativa variada en las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. Los datos de entrevistas revelan diferentes orientaciones del valor, identidades grupales distintas, y diferentes imágenes de la asociación cívico-social: como establecimiento social, como salida de la autoexpresión, como red de expertos o como “startup” social. Esta diversidad resultante de la cultura organizativa tiene implicaciones para el potencial de asociación entre las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro, entre las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro y el gobierno, o entre las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro y las empresas, y también para la supervivencia organizativa de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro en este escenario.

Arabic

تتأثر الثقافة التنظيمية للمنظمات الغير اربحية بالسياق الذي تكون فيه جزء لا يتجزأ منها. إستنادا” إلى دراسة نوعية للجمعيات المدنية المحلية في (Novosibirsk)، روسيا، توضح هذه المقالة كيف تم تشكيل الثقافة التنظيمية الغير ربحية عن طريق الظروف الإجتماعية والثقافية التاريخية والمعاصرة. قد أحدثت حالة السوء للمجتمع المدني في روسيا ثقافة تنظيمية متنوعة عبر المنظمات الغير ربحية. تكشف بيانات الملقابلة عن توجهات قيمة مختلفة، هويات جماعية متميزة، وصور مختلفة عن الجمعية المدنية المثالية: كمؤسسة إجتماعية، كمنطلق للتعبير عن الذات، كشبكة من الخبراء، أو كمشروع ناشئ إجتماعي.هذا التنوع الناجم عن الثقافة التنظيمية له إنعكاسات على إمكانية إقامة شراكات بين المنظمات الغير ربحية، بين المنظمات الغير ربحية والحكومة، أو بين المنظمات الغير ربحية والأعمال التجارية، كذلك لبقاء المنظمات الغير ربحية في هذا الإطار.

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Acknowledgements

A previous version of this paper was presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting in 2014. We are grateful for the very helpful comments from two anonymous reviewers and for advice from colleagues at our respective universities. The first author acknowledges financial support from the Center for Advanced Study at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, during the period when this article was being revised.

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  1. Department of Management, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Ulitsa Studencheskaya 38, Perm, Russia, 614070

    Sarah Busse Spencer

  2. Department of Social Work and Social Anthropology, Novosibirsk State Technical University, Novosibirsk, Russia

    Irina A. Skalaban

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  1. Sarah Busse Spencer
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Correspondence to Sarah Busse Spencer.

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Data were collected from interviews conducted with NGO leaders and members in Novosibirsk, Russia. Names of individuals and their organizations are kept confidential; therefore, pseudonyms of organizations are used in the article to conceal identities of groups and their leaders. Individual respondents were explained the purpose of the research, were given a choice whether to voluntarily participate in the study, gave informed consent to audio recording and subsequent transcription of the interview, and to have their statements used in research publications.

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Spencer, S.B., Skalaban, I.A. Organizational Culture in Civic Associations in Russia. Voluntas 29, 1080–1097 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9925-2

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