It is important to develop models and approaches to organisational capacity building that are relevant, applicable and appropriately generated and adapted within different cultures and contexts.

With this objective, Praxis explored how models and approaches to organisational capacity building that are relevant and applicable within different cultures and contexts are generated and adapted appropriately.

This entailed:

• studying organisational capacity building, as it is perceived and carried out in different cultures and contexts in response to capacity gaps
• understanding how to facilitate the transfer of capacity building practices from one culture and context, and ensure appropriate adaptation to the culture and context at the receiving end. 

Cross-cultural management

NGOs often rely on their local responsiveness, social focus and cultural sensitivity in their service delivery. Yet a cross-cultural management approach is rarely articulated. Praxis looked at how we might understand the cultural influences on NGO management, the process of transfer of management knowledge across cultures, and the implications for capacity building and impact assessment.

Work carried out indicated that there are a number of historical and current cultural influences on the way NGOs are managed both internationally and locally. Through a combination of Western and indigenous approaches a number of hybrid management and organisational systems emerge. Some are highly adaptive and appropriate to their context, some are not.

Practical implications

For capacity building practitioners, in order to respond to cultural and contextual influences, management should focus on:

• Managing complexity and uncertainty
• Managing decision-making processes through multiple stakeholders
• Using appropriate leadership and management styles
• Building locally appropriate motivational and reward systems

Contextual perspectives of capacity building

The Praxis programme undertook research to examine capacity building practices in different contexts. These studies sought to answer:

• What is the purpose and meaning of capacity building in the specific context, as perceived by support providers, civil society organisations and their stakeholders?
• What are the organisational capacity needs in the specific context, and what types of interventions are carried out in response to these needs?
• What central themes characterise capacity building in the particular context, and what will be the challenges for capacity building practice in the future?

Studies first looked at the Francophone dimension: responding to a great interest in French-speaking countries to learn more about and exchange experiences around capacity building, and increasing the previously limited dissemination of capacity building knowledge in French. We also sought to encourage practitioners function as catalysts for their own networks to increase the number of exchanges in French.

Later, we commissioned comparative research into NGO perspectives in Spain, and then deepened our understanding of the contextual dimensions of capacity building through regional papers on Iran, the Balkans, and Central Asia.