Jessica E. Sowa

No longer unmeasurable? A multidimensional integrated model of nonprofit organizational effectiveness

Few topics in nonprofit research and practice have received greater attention in recent years than organizational effectiveness. In spite of this intellectual interest, little consensus has emerged, either theoretically or empirically, as to what constitutes organizational effectiveness and how best to measure it. In this article, we introduce a multidimensional and integrated model of nonprofit organizational effectiveness (MIMNOE). The model captures two prominent dimensions of organizational effectiveness, management effectiveness and program effectiveness. In addition, to illustrate how this framework can be used empirically, the article proposes a method of analysis that exploits the interrelationships between the multiple dimensions in the model. MIMNOE is useful for both scholars and practitioners because it requires attention not only to program outcomes, but also equally to the factors that influence those outcomes.

Administrative Discretion and Active Representation: An Expansion of the Theory of Representative Bureaucracy

Recent studies of the theory of representative bureaucracy have focused on active representation, whereby administrators in public organizations work to advance the interests of particular groups, achieving policy outcomes that directly address the needs of those groups. The concept of administrative discretion is central to these studies, as an administrator must have the discretion to produce results that reflect the values and beliefs of these groups. While the presence of discretion is often implied in these studies, few have examined it explicitly. Using data from the Farmer’s Home Administration, we explore whether administrators who perceive themselves as having more discretion enact policy outcomes that are more representative of minority interests. The results strongly support the conclusion that administrators who perceive themselves as possessing significant discretion and who assume the role of minority representative in their agencies are more likely to enact policy outcomes that favor minority interests. In the evolution of public administration theory and practice, a general consensus has been reached that the investment of discretionary power in administrative agencies is a fact of life. While public administration theorists once believed that a public administrator’s actions could be dictated clearly by legislative mandate, numerous studies have demonstrated it is often impossible for legislators to anticipate all of the circumstances that may influence admin

The Collaboration Decision in Nonprofit Organizations Views From the Front Line

To understand the impact of collaborative service delivery by nonprofit organizations, scholars must fully understand why those nonprofits enter into service delivery collaborations and what motivates them to collaborate with another organization to deliver their services. Drawing on managers’ retrospective accounts concerning the creation of interagency collaborations and applying multiple theoretical perspectives, this article explores what managers directly involved in collaborations perceive to be the rewards or benefits of those collaborations. This research demonstrates the multiple forces driving the formation of interagency collaborations, in particular the desire to secure benefits attached to service delivery and to secure benefits for the organization as a whole. Understanding why nonprofit managers enter into interagency service delivery collaborations will allow for scholars to better determine the full impact of those collaborations on both services and the nonprofit organizations engaged in the collaborations.

Implementing Interagency Collaborations: Exploring Variation in Collaborative Ventures in Human Service Organizations

Collaborative mechanisms are increasingly being used to deliver public services in the United States, with many scholars seeking to understand the operation and impact of these ventures. This article contributes to this research by breaking apart interagency collaborations used to deliver services, demonstrating the variations that can occur within a single form of collaborative service delivery. Examining collaborations to deliver early care and education services, this article demonstrates that scholars need to examine multiple collaborative ventures within policy fields to understand the variations that can arise during the implementation process and the implications of these variations for the public services.

Performance Management and Appraisal in Human Service Organizations: Management and Staff Perspectives

To demonstrate their effectiveness, nonprofit organizations, like public and private sector organizations, are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate how well they perform and their plans for future improvement. An essential part of this process of measuring and fostering effectiveness is managing the performance of organizational members; typically this is accomplished with performance management processes, as the ability of nonprofit organizations to meet their goals is directly dependent upon the ability of the staff to perform effectively in the management and delivery of services. Performance management systems have been studied extensively in the public and for-profit sectors but have not been adequately explored in the nonprofit sector to surface possible sector-specific challenges. This study addresses this gap in the nonprofit knowledge base by comparing the utilization of different components of a performance management system from the perspective of management and frontline staff. It identifies gaps in the perceptions of management and staff concerning performance management and identifies five different models of performance management systems, concluding with lessons for practice.

Do Government Tools Influence Organizational Performance? Examining Their Implementation in Early Childhood Education

This article explores whether the multiple tools used by government to implement social policy influence organizational performance. This analysis focuses on three tools—grants, contracts, and vouchers—and their use in the field of early childhood care and education. Through analysis of a field-based study of 22 organizations, the authors explore qualitative evidence and examine the relative consequences of each tool using multivariate modeling. The authors conceptualize organizational performance along four dimensions—management capacity, management outcomes, program capacity, and program outcomes—to better explore how government tools influence organizations delivering publicly funded services. Findings reveal that the different tools the government uses to implement early childhood programs have distinct consequences; grants have the most significant, positive consequences on a variety of desirable outcomes.

Producing Knowledge For Practice Assessing NVSQ 2000-2010

The question of relevance and the production of usable knowledge for practice has been a foremost concern for the field of nonprofit studies since the early years of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). Exploring the research of nonprofit scholars from 2000 to 2010, this research note examines the following overarching question: How well do authors in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ) explore the practice implications of their research? We find that more work needs to be done in improving the applicability of our research for practice, while recognizing that some work is geared toward the advancement of basic knowledge in the field of nonprofit studies. We adopt the position that scholars engaging in research with direct relevance for practice should invest in supporting praxis, investing a portion of their writing in addressing the “so what” question for both scholars and practitioners.

Book Review: Jessica E. Sowa Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. 336 pp.

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