Institutional Development in Social Interventions: Towards Inter-Organizational Effectiveness

Institutional Development (ID), as distinct from Organizational Development (OD), is a relatively new field of inquiry but one which is attracting widespread interest. ID calls for effective collaborative processes across a collective of groups and organizations. This book is designed to assist ID in development interventions, beginning with the admission that it is an important but little understood process. The authors observe that successful development interventions require sustainability which, in turn, requires local social institutions. A social institution can be regarded as an organization of organizations. The authors maintain that most development initiatives focus on the obvious and immediate tasks of achieving operational targets and rarely take cognizance of the need to nurture appropriate social institutions. However, some initiatives have actually gone beyond programme operations to promote inter-group collaborations. This book explores both the concept and application of ID from multiple perspectives. It is divided into three parts. In the first, the authors present the theoretical aspects of ID. The highly multi-disciplinary nature of the subject is established, including conceptual frames as varied as social ecology and neo-institutional economics. The second part presents case studies of development initiatives which have fostered the ID process. In the last section, the authors draw lessons from the case studies and show how they can be applied in various settings. Overall, the book challenges conventional approaches to development interventions, their funding and their management. With its fine blend of theory and practice in the framework of sustainability, it will be widely welcomed by development organizations and funding agencies. It will be of equal interest to students and scholars of development studies, organizational behaviour, management, social work and social policy.