Disruption and transformation: The organisational evolution of an NGO

This paper explores how and why Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) governance was disrupted by changes in an organisation's internal and external environment. A detailed single case study of a large NGO operating in Sri Lanka is conducted. Data collection consists of semi-structured interviews, document analysis and participant and non-participant observation. Laughlin’s (1991) model of organisational change provides the theoretical foundation on which changes in the case NGO's interpretive schemes, design archetypes and organisational sub-systems are discussed. The changing of interpretive schemes and organisational sub-systems, in our case, was easier than changing design archetypes. Consequently, our paper introduces ‘protective reconfiguration’ as a new change pathway to Laughlin's (1991) model of organisational change. The findings suggest that the NGO's governance systems and processes are being moulded in ways that may not achieve the overall purpose of these organisations. Greater attention to evolving design archetypes is necessary in order to create more deliberative, fluid and less organisation-centric governance structures for NGOs operating in the policy-advocacy space.