The Localization Process of International NGOs in China: A Study of Marie Stopes International
Date Issued
2016
Date
2016
Author(s)
Cheng, Yao
Abstract
Abtract Organizational change is important for an organization’s ability to adapt. Yet, under what conditions is organizational change more likely to occur? What are the mechanisms of organizational change? What forces influence organizational change? Previous studies have identified three main sources of organizational change: internal pressure (Lewis and Churchill, 1983); resource constraints (Pfeffer and Salancik, 1974); and institutional isomorphism (Dimaggio and Powell, 1983). It has increasingly become evident that non-profit organizations (NPO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO) exhibit both general characteristics associated with any organization as well as their own organizational specificities. By investigating the process of localization of an international NGO (INGO) in China, this thesis contributes to our understanding of the process and mechanism of organizational change. Using Marie Stopes International China (MSIC) as the primary object of research, in-depth case study and comparative research are conducted. A number of factors that have influenced MSIC’s trajectory of institutional localization and change in China have been analyzed, including those internal and external to the organization and the micro and macro contexts. The findings are based on intensive on-site fieldwork conducted in China in 2015, during which original data were gathered through participatory observation, 34 in-depth interviews with relevant actors, and archival research. A number of questions related to INGOs’ organizational change has been investigated and answered, including ex ante conditions, motivations, directions, and influences. I find MSIC’s organizational change is mainly driven by its effort to effectively localize in a given local socio-economic and political milieu. Its ability to localize in China stemmed from three conditions: organizational autonomy endowed by its headquarters in the West; social relations between the local managers in China and leadership in the headquarters; and policies and attitudes of related government agencies in China. INGOs attempt to localize in China mainly in order to secure legitimacy and solve resource constraints. Legitimacy includes legal status as well as the degree to which they serve the demands of their local constituents. In this dynamics, the Chinese government plays a critical role, for two important reasons: i) in China, legal or “lawful” status can be obtained either as an independent legal entity or as a quasi-public entity under the auspices of the government. On the other hand, meeting the demands of local constituents is often tantamount to meeting the demands of the local government. Although the catalyst for organizational change usually comes from outside, the internal structure and institutional practices of INGOs often determine the trajectory of thereof.
Subjects
Organizational change
Resource dependence
Internal selection
NPO
legality
INGO
Localization
Type
thesis
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