NGO management is something that is a work in progress and needs to
be looked at more. This essay will cover different management aspects and
what the future of management will look like for NGOs. Business
management is “The study of management is a diverse and elusive field.,”
(Lewis 2014, p. 43). It also has to do with the management of commercial
businesses. This is a very mainstream strategy of management. NGOs
usually like to work within non-western cultures. This type of management
explores how mainstream management has influenced the use of it in NGOs.
The next aspect of management is public management; it's also known as
public administration. This sector is focused on many things. Some of those
are: delivery of public services, nature of implementation, challenges of
decentralization, etc. “). It also emphasized the use of private sector
management techniques, downsizing and privatization,” (Lewis 2014, p.46).
Development management is about “organizing its work with the context of
developing countries,” (Lewis 2014, p 46). Instead of focusing achievements
on internal objectives of making a profit, the developing management
achieves social goals outside of the organization. “If NGOs are understood as
third sector organizations concerned with the promotion of development
objectives, then NGO man-agreement is clearly of great relevance, (Lewis
2014, p. 47). Sometimes, the participatory approach makes the most sense
in terms of management, but other times, the control and command
approach is an appropriate one for this type of management. The next
management strategy is called third sector management; this talks about
pressure groups, establishments of education, trade unions, religious
organizations, community self-help initiatives, and charitable welfare
societies, etc.
I believe that development management would be more relevant
because this strategy requires lots of strategic planning, administration, as
well as controlling a project during its development life cycle. I believe that in
order for any organization, especially an NGO to be successful, they need to
have some sort of management or else I believe things will be chaotic,
unorganized, and counterproductive to all the changes they set forth to do.
NGOs can have the capacity to do a lot of great things if they have a system
set in place, such as development management, in order to maximize their
potential and effectiveness for great change.
I believe NGOs should take management more seriously because I
believe it will pay off in terms of the organization reaching its maximum
potential. A greater focus on management of any kind will eventually move
NGOs into being a more professionalized and less vital approach to their
work. NGOs have a lot to offer, but without the correct type of management
and organization, there is little to no cause for them to be successful. I think
that the risks for the ways NGOs operate are very big and can cause many
people to distrust NGOs and go elsewhere, and these types of organizations
are meant to be a resource for help and good and all of that will not be fully
appreciated or go to waste if there is not a greater focus for management.