The iron cage re-revisited: institutional isomorphism in non-profit organisations in South Africa

Non-profit organisations (NPOs) are being pushed to become ‘more business-like’, reflecting global discourse on ‘aid effectiveness’ underpinned by managerialist modes of thinking that may be inappropriate to local contexts. We examine the nature of the tendency towards institutional isomorphism, critiquing it through a Postcolonial lens, and empirically investigating this with twelve NPOs in South Africa’s Eastern and Western Capes. The study suggests that NPOs mimic such professed ‘best practice’ in order to secure funding, while resistance creates hybrid management forms in line with local humanistic objectives. A cross-cultural management focus contributes here to both theory and praxis.