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Strategizing in NPOs : A Case Study on the Practice of Organizational Change Between Social Mission and Economic Rationale
Journal
Voluntas
ISSN
0957-8765
ISSN-Digital
1573-7888
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2010-03-01
Author(s)
Jaeger, Urs
Beyes, Timon
Abstract
This paper presents the main results of a longitudinal case study of a strategic change process in a cooperative bank. Pursuing both a "social" mission and an explicitly economic rationale, this particular nonprofit-organization provides an exemplary research setting for inquiring into the delicate and contradictory interplay of mission focus and commercial imperatives. Departing from the practice perspective as a micro-view on everyday strategizing - an approach that seems to have not found its way into NPO-research yet - allows us to take an in-depth look at how people go about the process of making strategy despite the tensions between mission and profit. Our data yields three patterns of strategizing practices that aim at fostering economic growth without damaging the "social" mission, namely supporting diverse positions, protecting stabilized relationships and relating to organizational experiences. Building upon our empirical results, we tentatively conceptualize "balancing practices" as potentially important acts of strategizing in NPOs.
Language
English
Keywords
nonprofit organizations
strategic management
strategy-as-practice
contradictory rationalities
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Springer
Publisher place
Dordrecht [u.a.]
Volume
21
Number
1
Start page
82
End page
100
Pages
19
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
53607