Planning for change in educational NGOs: three case studies.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development ManagementIn South Africa's rapidly shifting socio-economic and political environment, many non-governmental organistions are in crisis, with donors, clients and government demanding that they change to meet the new development agenda. Although this requires careful planning and strategy- making,the three cases studied have shown that planning for change leads to tensions between need to retain the democratic and participatory ethos of the organisation, and the need to become more management and product oriented. In addition, the change planning in these organisations is often vague and and unfocused, with many different ideas and approaches for dealing with change, but few realistic plans to implement it. The research outlines an approach to planning that encompasses both of the NOD ideals by separating planning from strategy-making. As part of a learning environment, planning and strategy-making are participative activities that enable strategy to emerge at all levels of the organisation, while the planning process becomes action-focused and operational.Andrew Chakane 201