Navigating the Rapids: How Non-Governmental Organization Managers Develop Strategic Adaptation to Repressive Political Environments

Abstract

This article explores the management adaptation strategies non-governmental organizations (NGOs) managers employ in order to operate in repressive political environments. It answers the question: how do NGO managers initiate, manage and sustain internal change when the political/regulatory environment changes? Within the past few decades, a surge of government regulatory and funding restrictions has impacted the activities of NGOs across the globe. While some NGOs have discontinued operations despite a growing need for their services, others have found novel spaces of adaptation to these pressures. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with managers and experts in Egypt, the finding of our study is that, NGO managers have developed four major internal management adaptation strategies: (1) making changes to their mode of operation, (2) staff restructuring, (3) diversification of funding sources, and (4) making changes to their original organizational mission.