Anti-HIV Nonprofit’s Organizational Design Essay

For this assignment, I am assuming the role of an organizational design consultant in a global consulting firm. Based on the list of the suggested organizations, I decided to focus on the development of an organizational design proposal for a non-profit government organization (NGO) that fights against HIV and AIDS. This topic is chosen due to the immense magnitude of the problem of the given disease spreading. Accordingly, to combat HIV and AIDS effectively, the NGO under discussion should implement an appropriate organizational design that would benefit the organization to the maximum extent. To develop a meaningful recommendation about the choice of a particular organizational design, it is essential to provide the background of the topic, referencing scholarly literature on the topic.

Background of the Problem

Before dwelling on the discussion of a specific organizational structure, it is essential to elaborate on the principal concepts that are included in this paper. Particularly, three areas of concern are of the primary interest: the design and functional characteristics of NGOs, the problem of HIV in the context of NGOs, and differences between organic and mechanistic organizational structures. By providing background information for each of the mentioned topics, the author will be able to develop a comprehensive and evidence-based recommendation. First of all, it is critical to understand and describe the principal characteristics of an NGO.

In general, NGOs became crucially important for society as they fulfill various humanistic objectives by promoting social, political, and economic projects for the improvement of currently existing problems. As it is described by Srinivas (2010, p. 116), NGOs “have gained prominence, nationally, globally, as staff-driven, professional actors in civil society”. “Relying on professional staff, involving volunteers, being formally registered, having taxfree status, and claiming applied expertise in social policy in terms of delivering social services or advocating solutions” are considered to be the main features of NGOs (Metin 2017, p. 194). Additionally, Metin (2017) mentions that several distinctive characteristics make NGOs different from governmental organizations in the public sector as well as in the private sector: “not seeking profit, having different sources of revenue from profit-seeking organizations, having different kinds of objectives, having multiple stakeholders, and working with volunteers” (p. 194). Thus, the importance of NGOs for societal projects is highly significant.

Further, it is critical to focus on the aspect of the NGOs’ activities in the field of combating AIDS as well as the problem of HIV in general. The study by Acharya et al. (2017), which focuses on the exploration of ways to improve the health care services delivery in rural Nepal, provides important insights both on the topic of HIV/AIDS and the role of NGOs in such projects. First of all, the paper exemplifies the fact that in the vast majority of contemporary third-world countries, the adherence to HIV/AIDS treatment is considerably limited.

Also, the authors mention that the stigma surrounding the disease under discussion is still negatively affecting numerous people who are diagnosed with HIV (Acharya et al. 2017). Accordingly, what is the role of NGOs in the solution of the given problem? Acharya et al. (2017, p. 3) state that “NGOs that demonstrate the capacity, track record, and commitment to working together towards national health goals can and have successfully partnered with the public sector”. In general, it is mentioned throughout the paper that the partnership with NGOs can significantly increase the efficiency of anti-HIV programs. Additionally, the study by Banks, Hulme, and Edwards (2015) should be mentioned. In this article, the authors state that NGOs have a vast impact on the availability of donor-driven support for anti-HIV programs.

The third aspect under consideration that needs a proper background is the differences between organic and mechanistic organizational designs. According to the study by Chang (2017), it is largely recognized in the academic literature on the topic of business and management that the external environment has a vast impact on the internal structure of the organization. Thus, in the middle of the 20th century, a theory was proposed. This theory suggests that there are two types of organizational structure, mechanistic and organic. The mechanistic organizational design is characterized by the strong focus on “establishing clear rules and hierarchy to manage all workers in a firm” (Chang 2017, p. 52). On the contrary, the organic organizational structure could be described as the system based on “communication and cooperation to manage interactions between individuals” as an organization operates in a very dynamic environment (Chang 2017, p. 52). Unlike the mechanistic organizational design, which is suitable only for stable situations, the organic organizational design is capable of meeting various challenges in a timely and efficient manner.

Recommendation for the Implementation of a Particular Organizational Design

Based on the information provided in the previous section as well as additional references to the scholarly literature on the topic, it is possible to develop a meaningful conclusion about the choice of an organizational design for the NGO that is consulted by the firm in the proposed scenario. As it is evident from the previously developed discussion, the implementation of anti-HIV programs is a complex and challenging task, in which numerous determining factors are involved (Acharya et al. 2017). Accordingly, it is appropriate to state that organizations that have a purpose of fighting the negative impact of HIV and AIDS are operating in dynamic environments. Therefore, the organic organizational design is the most suitable structure for an NGO that aims at implementing an anti-HIV program.

Moreover, it is also essential to provide scholarly support for the developed claim. In the study by Mettin (2017), the author conducted an analysis of different variables in terms of their impact on the sustainability and efficiency of NGOs. Based on the information gathered from 139 participants, the author conducted linear regression analysis. As the result, it is concluded that “having an organic structure” has “effects on the likelihood of the sustainability of the non-governmental organizations” (Metin 2017, p. 197). Also, the author mentions that the overall increase in sustainability as the effect of the implementation of the organic organizational structure is evident. The study by Mehmood, Sonia, and Umar (2016) does not find positive connections between the organic structure and organizational learning and innovation. However, these findings, according to the authors, are largely determined by the Pakistani context of the study.

Conclusion

Overall, this paper represents an extensive analysis on the topic of non-profit government organizations within the context of the anti-HIV/AIDS programs. Based on literature research on the topic, the paper develops several important arguments related to the primary subject matter of the essay. It should be stated that operating in a dynamic environment requires a flexible organizational structure. As the result of the conducted analysis, it is recommended that an NGO should implement the organic organizational design since it better meets the demands and challenges which are within the scope of such organizations.

Reference List

Acharya, B, Maru, D, Schwarz, R, Citrin, D, Tenpa, J, Hirachan, S, Basnet, M, Thapa, P, Swar, S, Halliday, S & Kohrt, B 2017, ‘Partnerships in mental healthcare service delivery in low-resource settings: developing an innovative network in rural Nepal’, Globalization and Health, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 2-9.

Banks, N, Hulme, D & Edwards, M 2015, ‘NGOs, states, and donors revisited: still too close for comfort?’, World Development, vol. 66, pp. 707-718.

Chang, HH 2017, ‘A literature review and analysis of the incident command system’, International Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 50-67.

Mehmood, KK, Sonia, F & Umar, A 2016, ‘Impact of organic structure on competitive performance of pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan: study of mediating roles’, Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 821-834.

Metin, H 2017, ‘The effect of organizational structure and NGO-NGO relationships on sustainability in NGOs’, European Journal of Economics and Business Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 194-198.

Srinivas, N 2010, ‘The phenomenon of NGOs: a lateral reading from Latin America’, Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. 6, no. 2/3, pp. 116-127.