Development Cooperation Handbook/The Development Organization

The Development Organization

''In this section of the handbook, titled "Development Cooperation in Action: steps and tools" (in the right hand column of the Table of Contents), we share indications and tools that are useful for persons and organizations that work in development cooperation actions. (more about the difference in the contents in ⇒ handbook content). ''

No one co-operates alone, and the quality of the job done is determined by the professionalism and sincerity of organizations that implement the job.

Conventionally, organizations are classified according to different organizational types and organizational structures; however what really makes a substantial difference is the strength of the organizational identity, the vitality of the organizational mission and the cohesiveness of the organizational teams.

We find a parallelism between the cooperation done by individual colleagues within an organization and the cooperation among partner organizations associated in a consortium established for managing a development program or project. Establishing a cooperation programme among different organizations is like creating a temporary meta-organization, where each organization becomes an associate partner of the other, until program objectives are achieved. Organizations with a healthy internal communication and cooperation climate are those better capable of managing programme partnerships. On the other hand, working in cooperation actions improves the capacity among development actors to cooperate with colleagues within their organizations.

In this chapter of the handbook, we share the experiences of organizational life collected by the organizations that are associated with the Vrinda Project and some indications on how to manage the organizational relationship in order to empower workers and partners and enable them to be reciprocally supportive.

Here, we explain the reasons for the methodological assumption of this handbook, i.e. the best managerial style for a development aid organization is that of designing and managing itself and its culture so as to become a projectized organization, a learning organization and an employee empowering organization. The combination of these three factors nurtures the communication climate such as to work strategically, collaboratively and cost-effectively, while being innovative and accountable.

Subsections of this chapter

 * Organizational Types
 * Organizational Structure
 * Organizational Culture
 * The projectized organization
 * The learning organization
 * The employee empowering organization
 * The Organization’s mission
 * The Organization’s vision