Institusjonelle rammer for kirkelig ledelse. Kap. 6

Abstract

Management can hardly be understood irrespective of the context in which it unfolds. This is also the case with ecclesiastical leadership. Nevertheless, the management literature has rarely incorporated how different aspects of context affect management. This chapter thematizes the public frames and regulations civil society and church/religious organizations operate within and discusses how this affects leaders’ maneuvering space. An underlying premise of the chapter is that churches and religious organizations are institutions and that society as context is characterized by institutionalized frameworks framing religious organizations. Examples of this in a Norwegian context are the Working Environment Act and other laws governing working life, agreements negotiated between the parties in the labor market, and more specifically the Lutheran folk church tradition. Based on Scott’s (2008) analytical approach to analyzing institutionalization, regulatory, normative and cognitive/cultural norms, the chapter discusses how leaders’ maneuvering space is shaped by these mechanisms yet also has the ability to influence existing frameworks.