Assessing the effectiveness of non-profit forestry organisations: An ultimate goal approach

Silva Fennica 30(4): 459–476

This paper is an assessment of what in Finland are referred to as local forest management associations (LFMAs); the local units of a non-profit, forestry-promotion institution. First, the concept of organisational effectiveness is explored and an attempt is made to define it with respect to the LFMAs. The study then seeks to identify the environmental constraints, organisational characteristics and managerial practices differentiating the most effective and least effective associations. Discriminant analysis revealed four determinants of effectiveness: agrarian prosperity in the given area, activeness in marketing services to forest owners, the board of governors’ role, and goal setting practices. The results thus indicate that the comparison of managerial policies and practices among LFMAs can provide useful information for improving their effectiveness.

Keywords
performance, evaluation, local forest management associations, forest policy

Addresses
Finnish Forest Research Institute, Unioninkatu 40 A, FIN-00170 Helsinki, Finland. Fax +358 9 8570 5717, E-mail esa-jussi.viitala@metla.fi

Received 14 September 1995 Accepted 13 September 1996
ISSN 0037-5330

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