Date of Award
2024-03-08
Degree Name
PhD Leadership Studies
Dissertation Committee
Hans Peter Schmitz, PhD, Chair Marcus Lam, PhD, Member Sheridan L. Barker, EdD, Member Leonard Perry, PhD, Member
Keywords
: Nonprofit, Leader, Leadership, Lean, Six Sigma, Sector-bending, Sector Blurring, Businesslike
Abstract
Government, business, and nonprofit represent three distinct types of organizations governed by different legal frameworks designed to facilitate collective action (DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). The emergence of hybrid forms and increasing isomorphic pressures in the nonprofit sector (Bromley & Meyer, 2017; McCambridge, 2014) have challenged the traditional separation of organizational forms. This study explored the phenomenon popularized as sector-bending, “a wide variety of approaches, activities, and relationships that are blurring the distinctions between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, either because they are behaving more similarly, operating in the same realms, or both” (Dees & Anderson, 2003, pg. 16). This qualitative study examined the firsthand experiences of nonprofit leaders as they engaged in sector-bending by receiving training and certification in Lean Six Sigma (LSS) - a businesslike methodology traditionally deployed in manufacturing/for-profit corporations. By allowing nonprofit leaders to engage in a more reflective way, we better understand what is really happening on the front lines.
Findings indicated that some nonprofit leaders experienced tension over being driven by mission versus data which provoked personal growth and improved leadership skills. Adoption of LSS foundational principles and concepts (e.g. collect data before rushing to solutions) were found to have a longer-term utilization than the tactical LSS tools. Although the nonprofit leaders have yet to implement a thriving LSS culture in their organizations, they believe that LSS can be a source of financial stability. LSS was a positive experience and nonprofit leaders stay committed to the practice and training.
Document Type
Dissertation: Open Access
Department
Leadership Studies
Digital USD Citation
Codallos, Beverly, "Nonprofit Leader Experiences in Sector-bending After Lean Six Sigma Training: Tension, Concepts, and Changed Behaviors" (2024). Dissertations. 1007.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1007
Copyright
Copyright held by the author
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Finance and Financial Management Commons, Leadership Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Nonprofit Studies Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Organization Development Commons, Other Business Commons, Other Engineering Commons, Social Work Commons