Hybrid organizations and resilience as drivers for sustainability – A framework for rural development
2020 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (One Year)), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
Sustainable development has often been associated with the urban context, but rural areas play a significant role in the resilience and the viability of a country’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Yet, statistics show how the population in rural areas is decreasing around the world and in Sweden, this has resulted in the closure of social and public services in rural areas. Previous research suggests that hybrid organizations are a beneficial way to organize to tackle complex societal challenges due to the value-driven organizational set-up that is both mission-centered and market-oriented. The purpose of this research is to explore how local rural communities can use hybrid organizations to drive sustainability and build resilience by using Röstånga Tillsammans as a case study. The design of the research is qualitative and interviews, complemented by documents were used as data collection methods. Based on previous literature we developed a preliminary theoretical framework that identifies the characteristics of resilience- and sustainability-driven hybrid organization: (i) community infrastructure, (ii) diverse and innovative economy, (iii) human-environment connection, (iv) community networks, stakeholder relationships and collaboration, (v) knowledge, skills, and learning, (vi) engaged governance and leadership, and (vii) long-term perspective. The findings support previous research that a hybrid organizational structure is beneficial for driving sustainable development, due to the greater flexibility and adaptability, allowing for greater projects and opportunities, while still ensuring the mission of the organization. The results add new knowledge by suggesting that hybrids can help increase community resilience by contributing to increased local capability of dealing with change and uncertainties. The findings from the case study support our developed framework, however, it becomes evident that hybrid organizations for local development act as means to build resilience with sustainable development as the main outcome. Thus, we conclude that the framework for resilience and sustainability-driven hybrid organization needs to be rephrased as resilience-driven hybrid organizations for sustainable development.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Malmö universitet/Kultur och samhälle , 2020.
Keywords [en]
Hybrid organizations, rural development, community resilience, sustainability, adaptive capacity
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-24003Local ID: 32288OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-24003DiVA, id: diva2:1483972
Educational program
KS US Leadership for Sustainability
Supervisors
2020-10-272020-10-27Bibliographically approved