Organizational Change and Employee Concerns in the Finnish Defence Forces

Leinonen, Minna; Nikkanen, Risto; Otonkorpi-Lehtoranta, Katri

doi:10.18291/njwls.v8i3.109544

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Norheim-Martinsen (2016) argues that Europe's defense sectors have become more like other normal public (and private) sector organizations with the same dynamics and demands. Many military organizations, including the FDF, have adopted the principles of new public management (NPM), which means more transparency, accountability, and a more market-oriented approach (Leinonen et al 2018;Norheim-Martinsen 2016). According to Norheim-Martinsen (2016), current military personnel are constantly interacting with society.…”

Section: Organizational Change and Military Idealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both Norway and Sweden have established gender-neutral and selective conscription, whereas Denmark has selective conscription for men and voluntary service for women. Apart from maintaining male-only conscription, the Finnish military has adopted many other traits of post-modernization (Leinonen et al 2018).…”

Section: Organizational Change and Military Idealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The number of women in the FDF is 19% of all personnel (Defence Command 2019). Most of them are civilians working in the support sector (Leinonen et al 2018). The number of women both as conscripts and as military officers is 3%; of 2999 military officers, only 80 are women (Defence Command 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Emotional and Aesthetic Labor of Finnish Military Officers

Kouri

2021

NJWLS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study analyzes the emotional and aesthetic labor of Finnish military officers. It examines the kinds of valuations officers attach to the notion of an ideal soldier. The meanings that officers give to these ideals are explored within the wider framework of post-Fordist new work. The ideal soldier is traditionally considered to be physically capable and strong, rational, and in control—features culturally coded as masculine. An analysis of 108 military officers’ writings and 12 interviews showed that while the traditional masculine ideal still exists, a vast variety of valuations are related to new work. The notion of the new ideal worker includes attributes, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and social skills, which are culturally coded as feminine qualities. These feminine valuations may work to female officers’ advantage. However, despite fractures in traditional masculine ideals, there are still some deeply rooted gender stereotypes that work to female officers’ disadvantage.

show abstract

Section: Organizational Change and Military Idealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Organizational Change and Military Idealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Emotional and Aesthetic Labor of Finnish Military Officers

Kouri

2021

NJWLS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The features of the FDF as a total institution include that, for example, all the activities are under the same authority, it has tight and predetermined (Liuski 2019). (Leinonen et al 2018). (Hilverda et al 2018, pp.…”

Section: The Finnish Defence Forces As An Organisation and The Militamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Lutheran Military Chaplaincy in the Finnish Defence Forces’ Organisation Today. A Multi-Method Approach

Liuski

Ubani

2021

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Finnish military chaplains’ work focuses on supporting the conscripts’ ethical functioning ability as well as overall wellbeing of the people in the Finnish Defence Forces. This article gives the military chaplains an opportunity to tell in their own words what kind of issues relate to their perceptions working as a successful religious professional in this unique context. The research was carried out with a multi-method data, that includes an electronic questionnaire and an interview data. The results show that as the military chaplains commit and integrate well to their operational environment, they are also a heterogenous occupational group and manage their work very self-directedly. They appear to be more chaplains than soldiers or special officers, but it does not cause significant professional conflicts. The military chaplains’ profession should be described more as contrasting than conflicting overall. The intensity of their personal vocation and religiosity varies, but it affects considerably to their work motivation. It can be interpreted that military chaplains hold, in a sense, a double vocation towards their work where there is a clerical calling and a mission to work in a military environment.

show abstract

“…This continues to be the main task of the FDF, particularly for geographical reasons. According to Leinonen et al (2018), this has also retarded the process of professionalization in the FDF. In the following section, the national characteristics of the FDF and Finnish military identities are presented.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finnish Military Officer Identities and Micro-Political Resistance

Kouri

2021

Armed Forces & Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drawing on the concept of micro-political resistance, this article presents an empirical analysis of how officers of the Finnish Defence Forces challenge, resist, and reinforce the collective military identities constructed within the prevailing organizational discourses. There is a need for identity work to meet the norms and ideals of the military, but individuals can also work as change agents. Micro-political resistance derives from feelings of otherness as well as conflict between the dominant organizational identities and individuals’ personal interests. This study presents a thematic discourse analysis based on texts written by 108 officers and 12 interviews on the theme of “the ideal soldier.” Three main discourses of micro-political resistance were identified: perceiving the profession of a military officer as a job like any other rather than a sacred calling, putting family first, and being oneself instead of embodying the traditional masculine ideal soldier.

show abstract

Organizational Change and Employee Concerns in the Finnish Defence Forces

Cited by 3 publications

References 13 publications

Emotional and Aesthetic Labor of Finnish Military Officers

Emotional and Aesthetic Labor of Finnish Military Officers

The Lutheran Military Chaplaincy in the Finnish Defence Forces’ Organisation Today. A Multi-Method Approach

Finnish Military Officer Identities and Micro-Political Resistance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About