Design thinking: a working strategy for the third sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulsi Jayakumar ◽  
Krishnakoli Das ◽  
Neelesh Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Societal Problems

Purpose This paper aims to understand how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can use design thinking (DT) as a strategic tool to improve organisational and societal outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies a case study design. Building on in-depth interviews with senior management, beneficiaries (villagers), the village headman and children in Karaliya village (Rajasthan), as also from secondary sources, the paper presents a model of using DT for NGOs. Findings This paper presents evidence of how Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, an Indian NGO working in the most water-distressed and densely populated arid zone of the Thar Desert, used a user-centric, DT approach to solve the water-scarcity problem in villages in the Marwar region. In doing so, several interconnected societal problems were also addressed, including those of sanitation, education – especially of the girl child – poverty and migration. Practical implications DT has been increasingly used by “for-profit” business organisations to derive competitive advantage. NGOs have lagged in the use of DT as a strategic tool to drive enhanced organisational and societal outcomes. Such NGOs can strategise to adopt a DT approach. Originality/value A literature search revealed that while the term “NGO” threw up 36,571 results, “NGOs and strategic management” had only 363 results, and “the use of design thinking in NGOs” had 0 results. This paper contributes to the limited research in the field of strategic management in the NGO space by looking at DT as an important strategic tool for NGOs.

Sorry, no carnitas: balancing “Food with Integrity” and growth at Chipotle

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Trade Offs

Synopsis In January, 2015, Chipotle stopped serving pork at a third of its 1,800 restaurants due to its discovery that a pork supplier was not meeting Chipotle's “Food with Integrity” standards. This case examines the trade-offs Chipotle faced in maintaining its focus on sustainable ingredients as the chain grew rapidly. Demand for healthier ingredients by others in the industry and scalability problems in sustainable agricultural production suggested that supply shortages and higher prices were likely threats to Chipotle's continued rapid growth. Could Chipotle maintain its commitment to “Food with Integrity” when the supply of sustainable foods failed to meet demand or should the company just buy available ingredients regardless of farming methods? Research methodology This case was developed from both secondary and primary sources. The secondary sources included industry reports, company annual reports, news reports, social media sites and company websites. Primary sources included video interviews with Chipotle executives (available on the company's website) and visits to Chipotle restaurants in several cities. This case has been classroom tested with MBA students in a capstone course and with undergraduates in a strategic management course. Relevant courses and levels This case was written for use in Strategic Management classes at the undergraduate and MBA levels. The focus of the case aligns well with discussions of competitive advantage, firm performance and business level strategy. The case also has application in discussions regarding implementation of strategy. Instructors that choose to emphasize sustainability strategies could assign this case to explore trade-offs between profitability, sustainability and growth. Additionally, the case could be used in supply chain management courses. Theoretical bases This case utilizes a stakeholder analysis approach to examine the trade-offs between sustainability initiatives, growth and performance. The resource-based model of VRIO is used to analyze the firm's competitive advantage.

Fundación arteBA: supporting visual artists by promoting the art market

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Gabriel Berger ◽  
Carolina Gowland
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Board Meeting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Organizations ◽  
For Profit

Subject area Strategic management of nonprofit organizations. Study level/applicability This case is appropriate for graduate level program/executive education courses; advanced topics in nonprofit management or strategic management of nonprofit organizations. Case overview This case focuses on the central dilemma faced by arteBA Foundation in 2008. arteBA Foundation's chairman, Facundo Gómez Minujín, received an offer from a foreign company to purchase the art fair launched 17 years before – and by then acknowledged as the most prestigious fair in Latin America. Leading art fairs around the world were managed by for-profit companies that could view arteBA as a strategic asset to tap into new markets. Gómez Minujín called for an urgent board meeting. The young chairman had his qualms about selling the fair. In addition to corroborating arteBA's brand positioning in the region and rewarding the organization's efforts over the years, this purchasing offer afforded the possibility to undertake several projects to further develop and promote Argentine art – the true driver for most arteBA's members. The case describes the foundation's background and the fair's growth until the crossroads in November 2008. They include several accounts of instances in which the foundation took financial risks to enhance the fair's positioning, such as granting subsidized space to emerging galleries at its Young Neighborhood Program, expanding to include aesthetically risky offerings at its Open Space section, and financially supporting Brazilian galleries to attend the fair in order to enhance its Latin American scope and regional consolidation. Similarly, the case depicts how the foundation chose to uphold fair continuity in critical years (2001) amidst a dismal domestic setting. The dilemma presented by this case hinges on an organization's ability to build a market-based venture while preserving and pursuing its mission. To promote Argentine artists and art, arteBA Foundation had to help art galleries – for-profit businesses – to adopt more professional practices. Another challenge described in this case revolves around the need to “manage quality” in detriment of greater, immediate revenues. The last section revisits the central dilemma faced by arteBA Foundation. The mixed reactions of board members on the fair's purchase offer described in the introduction unfolded in a passionate debate at the board meeting. Two prevailing positions emerged in reference to the future of the organization. For some board members selling the fair afforded arteBA a chance to finally undertake new challenges, such as launching a grant program, offering financial support to artists, consolidating a new venture (South Limit), etc. Opposing board members contended that, without the fair, the foundation made no sense and that no other initiative could have such an impact on its field of choice. Finally, the board found it impossible to reach a decision on this matter in just one meeting and decided to resume its discussion after a recess. Expected learning outcomes This case has been designed to advance the following teaching objectives: gaining a better understanding of market-based ventures carried out by social organizations; discussing the alignment of market-based ventures to social missions at social organizations; adequately interpreting market trends to try to align them to a nonprofit's mission; identifying the primary capabilities needed by social organizations to manage profitable market-based ventures; developing a positive market orientation as a source of opportunities for a nonprofit; appreciating the significance of an active, committed board for market-based venture development; and highlighting the primary role of entrepreneurship and innovation when it comes to launching market-based ventures that add value to a nonprofit's brand. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available.

The hologram effect in entrepreneurial “social commercial” enterprises

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Crossan ◽  
Pat Ibbotson ◽  
Jim Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to present qualitative findings describing entrepreneurial differentiations between non‐profit organisations along a social economic continuum. The paper aims to focus on those non‐profit organisations classified as “social” and those more entrepreneurial behaving organisations classified as “social commercial”.Design/methodology/approachThe data were taken from recent research examining current classification systems and performance measurement indicators applied to not‐for‐profit and for‐profit organisations in an Irish regional context. Having reviewed the extant literature on classification systems and measurement indicators for non‐profit organisations, the social economic continuum model and theoretical measurement framework were developed. In order to test the models, the study employed a pragmatist mixed methodological approach; employing quantitative surveys and in‐depth interviews.FindingsThe paper presents key entrepreneurial differentiating themes between “social” and “social commercial” organisations, and discusses the triggers that produce a “hologram” effect or style of management in the third sector.Practical implicationsThe identification of entrepreneurial themes allows for the analysis of the non‐profit organisations from overly social in their activities and presentation, to overly economic in their behaviour. It allows for a greater understanding of the management processes employed by non‐profit organisations to create social value and meet their social aims and purpose.Originality/valueThe paper carries out a unique inter‐sector comparison of non‐profit organisations to determine entrepreneurial differentiations amongst non‐profit businesses employing entrepreneurial methodologies and behaviours to achieve social good.

“Not-for-profit” leaders take a different route

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-18
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – This paper examines some of the issues facing leaders of not-for-profit organizations, and considers ways in which this “third sector” is both similar to and different from the way that things operate in the public and private arenas. Practical implications – This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – This briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals The value of technology affordances to improve the management of nonprofit organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Bobsin ◽  
Maira Petrini ◽  
Marlei Pozzebon
Keyword(s):  
Technology Management ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Process Model ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technology Affordances

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the benefits generated by the use of new technologies by nonprofit organizations, with focus on how these artefacts can improve their ability to achieve their social mission. Design/methodology/approach To understand the potential use of technology by a nonprofit organization, the concept of affordance was applied. The authors propose a processual model of affordances’ interdependences that enrich the extant literature. Six nonprofit organizations in two Brazilian regions were deeply investigated using a multiple case study method. Findings The authors identified new sub-categories of technology affordances, which are not just related to nonprofit but that could be also applied to other types, including for-profit. Sub-categories of affordances seem to play different roles in the actualization process. The authors are not proposing determinist connections among sub-categories, but they argue that they sustain some sub-categories precede or create the condition for others to emerge. Originality/value Nonprofit organizations lack theoretical and empirical investigations on management in general and on technology management in particular. In its turn, the technology field does not pay much attention, both in terms of research and practice, to the specificities of the third sector where the nonprofit organizations operate. This process model of potential uses of new technologies that might favor nonprofit organizations contributes to the cross-fertilization between two distinct fields: third sector and technology management.

scholarly journals Barriers to knowledge sharing in third sector social care: a case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndsay Bloice ◽  
Simon Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit

Purpose – This paper aims to build on existing theory of knowledge sharing barriers (KSBs) by exploring the concept in the relatively under-researched context of social service not-for-profit organisations. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, case study methodology was used. Practitioner staff members took part in online questionnaires, followed by semi-structured interviews with line management and middle management staff. Secondary sources from the case study organisation were also used in the analysis. The analysis of questionnaire responses alongside responses from semi-structured interviews is compared with extant research into KSBs. Findings – The findings of this study highlight the need to re-examine the KSBs identified in the literature to reflect contexts beyond the private sector. Common barriers were identified, but some found in the case study organisation did not neatly fit into the existing definitions of KSBs. An updated list of KSBs to reflect this social service not-for-profit context is presented. Research limitations/implications – Case studies are often not generalisable; however, the KSB list developed here could be further explored and tested in other third sector organisations. Practical implications – The research raises the question of applicability of current knowledge management (KM) theory and lexicon in the third sector and social care environment. Originality/value – This study provides an insight into KM applicability in a third sector context, which is a relatively under-developed research area.

Significance of migration to the COVID 19 outbreaks in major states in India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjit Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Human Mobility ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Migration Flows ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
And Migration

Purpose The spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan to the global countries has a direct association with human mobility. Perhaps, human mobility increases the hazards of COVID-19 due to its communicable characteristic of human-to-human transmission. Thus, the volume of migrants and migration may have a significant role in the outbreaks of COVID-19 in any country. Given that India homes more than 45 crores of migrants, the present study aims to examine the linkages between migration flows and COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach The present study has used secondary sources such as data sharing portals, census, news and media reports and Web sources. The updated COVID-19 data was retrieved from the www.covid19india.org, whereas migration rates were analysed from the D-series of census 2011. Findings Nearly 23% of total inter-state migration occurred for the livelihood only. The numbers of cases have raised much earlier and faster in migrant's destination states than in migrant's origin states. Further, as shown in the scatterplots, that positive association between “COVID-19 and in-migration” is found to be more robust than “COVID-19 and gross-migration”. On the other hand, the migrant's origin states are also experiencing a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases due to large numbers of returning migrants. These return-migration flows have created major administrative, social and public health challenges, particularly in the origin states, and as a whole in India. Originality/value This paper has potential to help policy planners to identify the COVID-19 vulnerability of various states in respect to the migration perspectives. Moreover, it also enhances the understanding to establish the linkage between COVID-19 outbreaks and migration.

scholarly journals Ownership Variation in Violated Regulations and National Care Standards: Evidence From Social Care Providers

2021 ◽  
pp. 089976402110014
Author(s):  
Anders M. Bach-Mortensen ◽  
Ani Movsisyan
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Research Gap

Social care services are increasingly provisioned in quasi-markets in which for-profit, public, and third sector providers compete for contracts. Existing research has investigated the implications of this development by analyzing ownership variation in latent outcomes such as quality, but little is known about whether ownership predicts variation in more concrete outcomes, such as violation types. To address this research gap, we coded publicly available inspection reports of social care providers regulated by the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and created a novel data set enabling analysis of ownership variation in violations of (a) regulations, and (b) national care standards over an entire inspection year ( n = 4,178). Using negative binomial and logistic regression models, we find that for-profit providers are more likely to violate non-enforceable outcomes (national care standards) relative to other ownership types. We did not identify a statistically significant difference between for-profit and third sector providers with regard to enforceable outcomes (regulations).

The ingenious marketing of modern paintings

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-233
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Bayer ◽  
John Page
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Process ◽  
Art Market ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Auction Houses ◽  
Art Dealers ◽  
The Media ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the evolution of the marketing of paintings and related visual products from its nascent stages in England around 1700 to the development of the modern art market by 1900, with a brief discussion connecting to the present. Design/methodology/approach – Sources consist of a mixture of primary and secondary sources as well as a series of econometric and statistical analyses of specifically constructed and unique data sets that list nearly more than 50,000 different sales of paintings during this period. One set records sales of paintings at various English auction houses during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the second set consists of all purchases and sales of paintings recorded in the stock books of the late nineteenth-century London art dealer, Arthur Tooth, during the years of 1870/1871. The authors interpret the data under a commoditization model first introduced by Igor Kopytoff in 1986 that posits that markets and their participants evolve toward maximizing the efficiency of their exchange process within the prevailing exchange technology. Findings – We found that artists were largely responsible for a series of innovations in the art market that replaced the prevailing direct relationship between artists and patron with a modern market for which painters produced works on speculation to be sold by enterprising middlemen to an anonymous public. In this process, artists displayed a remarkable creativity and a seemingly instinctive understanding of the principles of competitive marketing that should dispel the erroneous but persistent notion that artistic genius and business savvy are incompatible. Research limitations/implications – A similar marketing analysis could be done of the development of the art markets of other leading countries, such as France, Italy and Holland, as well as the current developments of the art market. Practical implications – The same process of the development of the art market in England is now occurring in Latin America and China. Also, the commoditization process continues in the present, now using the Internet and worldwide art dealers. Originality/value – This is the first article to trace the historical development of the marketing of art in all of its components: artists, dealers, artist organizations, museums, curators, art critics, the media and art historians.

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