Sivuryhmä

Sivuryhmä is a Finnish term meaning a secondary or auxiliary group that operates alongside a main organization, project team, or decision-making body. The word combines sivu, meaning “side” or “auxiliary,” with ryhmä, meaning “group.” It is used primarily in organizational, administrative, or governance contexts to denote a body that supports or supplements the principal group.

In practice, a sivuryhmä is typically formed to handle a particular issue, conduct preparatory work, or provide targeted expertise. Members are usually appointed for a defined period and report to the main body, such as a council, board, or steering committee. The group may undertake tasks like research, analysis, public consultation, or the development of recommendations, after which its findings are considered by the primary decision-makers.

In contrast to working groups, which are common in Finnish organizations and explicitly tasked with delivering concrete outputs within a project, sivuryhmä emphasizes its auxiliary or side-role relative to the main organization. The concept is thus somewhat context-dependent and can vary in form and authority from one institution to another.

In mathematics and many other technical fields, sivuryhmä is not a standard technical term. The Finnish equivalent for a subgroup in group theory is aliryhmä. If sivuryhmä appears in such contexts, it is usually nonstandard or used in a translation with a clarifying definition.

See also: aliryhmä, työryhmä, hallinto.