What organizational values drive NGOs to be successful? Evidence from Polish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the theory of management by values

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the relationships between organizational values and the success of Polish NGOs in the context of the theory of management by values. The study indicates that different categories of NGO success are related to different priorities of the organizations’ CEOs in survival values. Results show that ethical values associated with organizational success are viewed in financial terms compared to organizations whose managers do not consider these values important. The article also shows that the quality of an organization’s services and its competitiveness are rated lower by organizations that prioritize conservative values. It also shows that honesty’s core ethical organizational value is related to NGO performance to varying degrees. The results show that the quality of an organization’s services is rated higher by organizations whose leaders prioritize honesty. Still, the level of cooperation between the organization and public and local government institutions is rated lower. This has clear implications for NGO managers: they should review the organizational values they prioritize concerning their organization’s performance goals to implement value management more effectively.

Keywords

• success
• Management by Values
• NGOs
• organizational values