NGO support toolkit (English)  >  NGO Support Programme management  >  Organisation 

Management and structure

An effective operational structure is needed for the effective implementation of the strategy according to plan, for day-to-day operational management and to support the long-term development of the organisation and its programmes.

Organisational structures and management systems should cover:

• definition of leadership, decision-making and implementing roles and responsibilities
• clarity about the functions of the governing body, the executive director, and their working relationships with the staff
• lines of reporting and accountability
• financial control systems
• team-working and team-management to ensure different parts of the organisation support one another and work towards common strategic goals
• conflict resolution
• capture and sharing of organisational learning.

NSPs are involved in many partnerships – with donors, other NSPs, government departments and of course numerous NGOs and CBOs. Developing a clear and well-understood organisational structure enables people inside and outside the NSP to build more effective partnerships as they understand the demarcation of roles and responsibilities among the different posts, including who can make decisions on behalf of the organisation at various levels, who is managed by whom and how individuals can contribute their ideas within the decision-making structure.

There is no single operational structure ideal for all NSPs. The structure will need to be reviewed regularly to ensure that the needs of partner organisations and the NSP’s mission continue to be met in a changing environment. In smaller programmes there is likely to be more sharing of tasks amongst generalist staff. As programmes grow and staffing establishment changes and develops, there is likely to be a need for more specialist jobs and sometimes an intermediate tier of management. Organisational structures can also change to reflect a changing combination or emphasis of the NGO support functions in the overall programme. The review should take into account the pace of growth of the programme, the developing relationships with partners and the external context in which the NSP works.

Issues to consider

• Different styles of leadership are appropriate to different types of NSP in different contexts. However, the age and stage of development of NSPs can also have a bearing on choices in relation to appropriate governance. For example, often there is an important transition to be negotiated from a first phase of ‘charismatic’ leadership to a second phase of managerial leadership.
• Leadership styles can vary along a spectrum from democratic and inclusive to hierarchical. This is often determined by cultural, personal, organisational or historical factors. Attention should be paid by the governing body to ensuring that an appropriate style of leadership is adopted for an organisation and that this leadership is effective in achieving the mission of the organisation and retaining and motivating staff.
• Recruiting an executive director to lead an NSP can be challenging, and decisions will depend on the different NGO support functions that are being provided. An adequate balance of skills and experience is required, but careful consideration should be paid to which skills are essential and which ones can be part of a balancing equation. The executive director needs to also have good representation skills for advocacy, policy work and resource mobilisation work, information gathering and networking skills.
• Induction of staff can include a period of time (perhaps one to three months) spent working with the organisations the NSP supports in order to understand them better.

Related themes

Technical support in management & structure

• Send to a friend
• Printer-friendly