Change and Power in Complex Democratic Organizations. The Case of Norwegian Elite Sports

Abstract

This article examines how models for elite sports are negotiated within sport organizations that combine mass and elite sport. The analysis is based on a qualitative case study of a decision-making process within the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sport (NOC) in 2004–2006, where the autonomy of the elite sports unit was being debated. A theoretical perspective on radical organizational change, which focuses on the power and interests of sub-units, is used to analyze the processes of negotiation within the NOC and the outcome of these processes. It is concluded that the proponents of change failed in their attempt at giving the elite sport unit a more autonomous status, because this would be in opposition to deep-seated values and practices within the organization, first and foremost the principle of one single organizational model. This is explained through the concept of systemic power, a type of power that is taken for granted and that operates through daily practices and routines in organizations.

Notes

1. An additional explanation may be that the NSOs emphasize different cases to varying degrees, and that they chose to abstain from using their influence in this particular case. This was suggested to us by one informant with relations to the NSOs, but will not be explored further here.

2. There are, nevertheless, indications that all parts of the organization did not see the process as thoroughly open. This is most clearly seen in comments upon the fact that the organizational issue was omitted during the hearings, but which later re-emerged.