The Unique Aspects of Organisation Development in the Social Sector

Abstract

At its best, the work of the social sector is about changing society—the underlying norms, attitudes and power relations—and at the very least, ameliorating some of the ills present, for example, paucity of access to health or food. It is this desire for change or amelioration that provides the motive force for organisational members. To build this motive force, organisation development (OD) interventions need to work on some or all of the following: building greater ownership of organisational staff through tweaking governance methods and organisational structures, (founder-led or an institutionalised structure); mirroring expected norms within community with those observed in the organisation; having clarity about the vision of the community; working with organisational dilemmas; and having a clear theory of change. The last implies building and understanding the complex nature of society and social change and interventions therein; and as a corollary, a culture of debate and thoughtfulness.