NHRD Journal - National HRD Network

were low, people lived simply and salaries
reflected this. Though salaries have
increased over time, the fact is that NGO
salaries - as well as those of its leadership
are a fraction of what one gets offered in
other sectors - Government and the
Corporate sector.
• Attrition - There is large attrition in many
NGOs. This attrition is particularly true for
those who join in the Middle Line. For one,
there are far many more NGOs present now
than they were ten years back. Thus, when
people are dis-satisfied with the NGO they
are working in, they attempt to find another.
Secondly, they are attracted to the donor
agencies - many of them international. These
donors typically offer much larger pay and
greater visibility. These donors act as magnets
for a large number of people who join the
middle management. Donors on their part too
are looking for people who have some 'field
experience' - i.e., those who have worked with
the community. Consequently, many NGOs
who have succeeded in acquiring and training
such people end up by losing them to donors.
Thirdly, the expanding Corporate sector
attracts many in the NGO sector, especially
those who interact with community on retail
services or financial products.
Mintzberg and the Structure of Organizations:
A Theoretical Interlude
Henry Mintzberg is a Canadian management
thinker who is known as someone apart from
the mainstream (of management thinking) able
to analyze basic assumptions about managerial
behavior. In his seminal work, The Structuring
of Organizations, this is what he has to say about
organizational structure.
• Organizations can be seen divided into five
parts.
• At the base of the organization is the
Operating Core. These are the people who
are actually doing the work. In the context
of Indian NGOs, these would be the persons
working directly with the Community: the
so called Field Workers.
• At the hierarchical top of the organization
is the Strategic Apex - the managers who
have the overall responsibility for the
organization; the ones who take strategic
decisions and provide direction to the
organization. In the context of Indian NGOs
these usually consist of people who have
started the organization: the original
Leaders of the organization.
• The Middle Line is a chain of managers that
implement the decision by supervising
subordinates (the Operating Core), and
reporting to their supervisors (the Strategic
Apex). These are people who make tactical
decisions and lead programs. Interestingly
- and we will find out why this happens -
most Indian NGOs have little or nothing in
the form of this middle line.
Figure 1 – Visual depiction of Mintzberg’s
structure components
• The fourth part of the organization is the
Techno-Structure. This part serves to
analyze and organize the work. In the
context of NGOs these can refer to people
who have a technical background in the
specific work area (irrigation, health,
November 2007 NHRD Journal 39