Organizational Culture and Innovation
in Nonprofit Organizations

Introduction

In 2003, with the support of the National Science Foundation, the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia has undertaken the research project to examine the role of organizational culture in  facilitating innovation in nonprofit organizations.

The study seeks to answer the following questions pertaining to three culture variables: 1. Is cultural consensus (the degree to which employees agree on a set of organizational values) associated with organizational innovativeness? 2. Are organizational values associated with organizational innovativeness? 3. Is the interaction of cultural consensus and organizational values associated with organizational   innovativeness? 4. Is the structure of organizational culture associated with organizational innovativeness? 5. Will organizational culture be related to organizational innovativeness after controlling for the effects of alternate explanatory variables? 6. Will the effect of organizational culture differ depending on the type of innovation, its nature, and the stage of its implementation?

The first phase of the study (Fall 2003 - Spring 2004) involved testing and validation of the proposed model in 48 Communities In Schools (CIS) programs in the state of Georgia. Data was collected using variety of techniques: semi-structured interviews, surveys, and organizational documents. The report discussing the results of Phase I of this three year project is available on this website. During the second phase of the study (Summer 2004 - Spring 2005) data was collected in the states of South Carolina and Florida. The study is currently in its last stage of implementation. The data is being collected in the local CIS sites of North Carolina.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0323222.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).