NGOs and Organizational Change: Discourse, Reporting, and Learning / Edition 1

by Alnoor Ebrahim

Overview

The organizational dynamics of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become increasingly complex as they have evolved from small local groups into sophisticated multinational organizations with global networks. Alnoor Ebrahim's study analyzes the organizational evolution of NGOs as a result of their increased profile as bilateral partners in delivering aid. Focusing on the relationships between NGOs and their international network of funders, it examines not only the tensions created by the reporting requirement of funders, but also the strategies of resistance employed by NGOs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521824866
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/07/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Alnoor Ebrahim is an Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School. His research and teaching focus on the challenges of accountability, performance, and organizational learning facing nonprofit and civil society organizations. He is also affiliated with Harvard University's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

Table of Contents

List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The making of NGOs: the relevance of Foucault and Bourdieu; 2. The NGOs and their global networks; 3. NGO behavior and development discourse; 4. Interdependence and power: tensions over money and reputation; 5. Information struggles: the role of information in the reproduction of NGO-funder relationships; 6. Learning in NGOs; 7. Challenges ahead: NGO-funder relations in a global future; Notes; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Alnoor Ebrahim has written a fine study of the multilayered and interdependent relationships between NGOs and their funders that sheds new light on this complex terrain. His book makes an important contribution to the NGO debate." Michael Edwards, Director, Governance and Civil Society, The Ford Foundation

"This book clears a lot of debris from the superficial received wisdom about Southern NGOs. It looks deeply into how and why organizations learn, or fail to learn, and how they manage donor relationships which aim to support, but too often restrict and constrain. NGOs and Organizational Change contains valuable and sometimes disturbing insights into the real life of Southern NGOs - for managers, students and supporters alike." Ian Smillie, Co-author, with John Hailey, Managing for Change: Leadership, Strategy & Management in Asian NGOs

"...an original and refreshing account of the processes through which NGOs initiate and learn their developmental activities while managing their interdependence with donors." Nonprofit and voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nidhi Srinivas

From the Publisher