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Nonprofit Governance Models: Problems and Prospects
illustrations excerpted from a paper developed by:
Pat Bradshaw, York University
Bryan Hayday, Change-Ability
Ruth Armstrong, Vision Management Services
Johanne Levesque, AmbireSI
Liz Rykert, Meta Strategies
Drawing on experiences in designing a new governance model for a joint Canadian non-profit-public sector initiative, this paper argues that there is currently no agreement about a prescriptive or ideal model of non-profit governance. Rather, within the current diversity of thought about governance there is an exciting opportunity to create new models which are hybrids of existing and emerging models - with the selection of the best model based on a contingency approach (see table).
| Contingency Approach to Governance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unity Model | Network (or Pluralistic) Model | |
| environment | stable, predictable | turbulent, unpredictable |
| structure | hierarchical, established | network, organic, emergent |
| technology | rigid, centralized | flexible, distributed |
| constituencies | few, known | multiple, diverse |
| world view | knowable/ continuous unitary/ controllable |
adaptability/ complexity partnership/ balance of tensions |
| power/ autonomy | centralized dependence/ independence top/down control |
distributed/ interdependent balanced |
| governance model | policy governance or constituency |
entrepreneurial or emergent cellular |
What follows is a graphical representation of existing governance models along two dimensions: established vs. innovative and unitary vs. pluralistic. This provides us with a way of mapping current perspectives according to four different models; the Policy Governance model, the Entrepreneurial model, the Constituency model and the Emergent Cellular model. The Adaptive Equilibrium hybrid represents the challenge, and opportunity, to select the viable and appropriate elements of each approach - rather than declaring for one "school of thought" over another.
