The technological revolution has fundamentally changed the way
business is done. In many ways, web innovations have eased the burden of
starting an organization or company of any kind--one can set up a very
professional "virtual office" within hours and get right down the
business of providing services or making widgets. Many organizations offload
their core administrative and technical functions to external providers--think
of Google Apps for email and calendaring or contracted payroll and accounting
services.
Many of these business-to-business service providers are
increasingly (some entirely) web-based. I see useful comparisons
between modern web development--especially "software as services"
companies--and networked nonprofit organizations. While the services that these
companies provide have changed the way nonprofits do business, there may be
important lessons to learn from an examination of their business philosophies.
37signals is a Chicago-based web development company that has
developed several popular online collaboration products in use by over one
million people and businesses. They also publish a widely read blog called
"Signal vs. Noise." One recent post caught my eye:
First, never implement more than you need to. That sounds harsh,
in a grasshopper-and-the-ant kind of way, except it really isn’t. It isn’t a
mandate to slack off, it’s a command to do what you know. Implement the feature
you’re working on, not the feature you hope will land someday. Keep it simple,
keep it minimal, and keep it real.
What lesson does this hold for nonprofits? Especially networked
nonprofits whose strength and influence is, in part, a function of the network
ties that bind them to other service providers?
Ultimately, it is a matter of defining the mission of the
organization and making a deliberate choice to reject activities that reach
beyond the scope of the organization (presuming that resources are currently
available for such an expansion). Perhaps easier said than done when an unmet
need is slapping us across the face or tugging at our heartstrings.
In an article titled "Strategic Performance Measurement and
Management in Nonprofit Organizations" (Nonprofit Management and
Leadership, 11(3), Spring 2001), Robert S. Kaplan notes:
Achieving focus and alignment, however, may be particularly
difficult for nonprofit organizations. Many people who become employees of
these organizations voluntarily accept below-market compensation because they
believe in the mission of the agency. Their personal values motivate them to do
good and to contribute to society through the agency’s programs. This is
wonderful and a great source of strength for the nonprofit sector. But it is also
a danger. Such motivated individuals come to the agency already equipped with a
clear, albeit personal, idea about how to accomplish the organization’s goals.
And they often encounter a nurturing environment in which all opinions are
valued and listened to. This is an engine for diffusing organizational energy.
Do you find this "focus creep" prevalent in your
organizations? How have you managed to maintain mission focus and sustain
organizational energy without tamping out the enthusiasm of motivated employees?
Posted October 28, 2008 3:40 PM