In Search of Legitimacy: Managerialism and Legitimation in Civil Society Organizations

Performance Accountability as a Driver for Changes in Nonprofit–Government Relationships: An Empirical Insight from Austria

“…Even so, it is thought-provoking that two-thirds of all funder-focussed answers did not mention clients at all and that large NPOs show a tendency to rate financiers either first or as equally important. These findings correspond with Meyer et al (2013) who show that the managerialist core objectives have become a matter of course in Austrian NPOs. In line with the ''social triangle'' with its split between financiers and consumers of social services, NPOs seem to ascribe increasing importance to the former.…”

“…Bode and Evers (2004) call this development ''the neoliberal challenge'' meaning that the (neo-)corporatist model has come under pressure by managerial deregulation, time-limited and task-linked service contracting, short-term rationalization, Voluntas and less secure public funding leading to a tendency of focussing activities on areas that are reimbursed (p. 110f). Meyer et al (2013) also stress that the concept of managerialism is one of the strongest institutions affecting civil society organizations. Managerialist notions and procedures determine a specific normative view of nonprofits.…”

“…However, the spreading of managerialism as a powerful institutional practice is also acquiring more relevance in the Austrian third sector, as a study by Meyer et al (2013) in the areas of social services, development, and housing shows. More in line with a liberal regime is the fact that social care NPOs increasingly compete with for-profit providers for government contracts and foundation grants (Rymsza and Zimmer 2004;Petrella and Richez-Battesti 2012).…”

Nonprofit Organizations Becoming Business-Like

“…Some studies take stock of business-like practices in the field, shedding light on the extent of managerialization, organizational rationalization, and business-like organizing in general (e.g., Di Zhang & Swanson, 2013;Hwang & Powell, 2009;Meyer, Buber, & Aghamanoukjan, 2013). Some studies take stock of business-like practices in the field, shedding light on the extent of managerialization, organizational rationalization, and business-like organizing in general (e.g., Di Zhang & Swanson, 2013;Hwang & Powell, 2009;Meyer, Buber, & Aghamanoukjan, 2013).…”

Nonprofit organizations in between the nonprofit and market spheres: Shifting goals, governance and management?

“…Third, in terms of organizational processes, hybridization towards the market domain emerges as the belief that a NPO should function as a corporate entity in order to perform adequately (Hvenmark, 2016). This conviction, denoted by the concept "managerialism," can take root on an internal and external level (Meyer, Buber, & Aghamanoukjan, 2013). Internally, a managerial organization is characterized by a close control over operational processes, interchangeably manifested through (a) the presence of performance measurement (Carnochan et al, 2014), (b) standardization of organizational processes (Baines, Cunningham, & Fraser, 2011), (c) the use of corporate management tools (Hvenmark, 2013), or (d) the introduction of managerial professionals (Hwang & Powell, 2009).…”