A Role of the Non-Government Organizations - Coursework Example

Role of NGOs Introduction The development and growth of organizations of civil society or the non-government organizations (NGOs) came into existence to address the inadequacies of the state and the market, to help address a wide variety of social needs. The role of the NGOs in helping individuals attain freedom has now gone to the extent that the existence of NGOs is no more a luxury but a necessity. These organizations serve as mediators between the civil society and the government, between businesses and the government. They have been able to address the business excesses and introduce reform measures. To maintain the balance in the society, the NGOs help build creative and productive partnerships. The NGOs have been able to address societal issues and promote positive behavior either as a result of direct action or by forcing change in legislation. Definition and role of NGOs The UNDPI (United Nations Department of Public Information) defines NGOs as not-for-profit voluntary citizens’ group organized at the local, regional or the national or international level to address issues for public good (Sparks, 2010). Traditionally the NGOs played the role of information collectors, analysts and disseminators, agenda setters, compliance monitors, advocates and delegated local implementers. Over time the NGOs moved beyond the role of policy advocates. NGOs have complex geographical ranges. While they are connected to one another they also remain entangled to the state or quasigovernmental agencies, as well as with businesses (Roberts, Jones III, & Fröhling, 2005). The society has been divided into three groups – the government, the market and the voluntary sector (Ha, 2002). This voluntary sector is the NGOs who according to Heintz (2006) have three primary roles – they provide opportunity to self-organization of the society, they work as the mediator between businesses and the government and they enable experimentation and social change. NGOs ensure compliance with rules and regulations, they help mitigate risks and help business to identify changes in its operating environment (Tieman, 2010). NGOs enable citizens to promote social values, promote local initiative and problem-solving. They reflect the diversity of the society as they work in different areas such as the environment, health, poverty alleviation, culture arts, and education. They attempt to implement change at the grass-root level. NGOs provide the fulcrum for balancing the state and the free market. NGOs – mediator between business and government NGOs take on challenges that the state government and private businesses would not. In the modern society countless innovative policies suggested by the NGOs have been accepted by the government. The NGOs can prevail upon the governments to adopt policy reforms and force improvements in business practices. The non-government organizations (NGOs) have gained prominence since the 1990s as people did not have the trust in the state governments to route donations for poverty alleviation (Porter, 2003). Even though the state role in societal improvements has improved, the NGOs continued to be used as a channel for such donations. They are also treated as a democratizing element of civil society. The role of the NGOs enhanced as the states demonstrated inability to create just and sustainable societies. NGOs – direct action towards reform NGOs enter into partnerships with companies and work towards positive change at the workplace. In China an NGO - Hong Kong NGO Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) – took stern action against Wal-Mart for violating the workers’ rights at their production end (Sexton, 2010). Wal-Mart sources toys from Sunny Toys in Shenzhen and Crown-Ace Toys in Dongguan. SACOM spent six months in 2010 investigating the wages and conditions at these manufacturers. The research found that workers worked up to 160 hours which is three times more than the permissible limits according to the Chinese law. The workers were subject to unfair deduction, arbitrary fines and only two days’ rest per month were provided to the workers. Child labor was also prevalent at these factories. SACOM realized that codes of conduct and internal audit would not improve the working conditions. Impact created by the NGO: After the intervention of SACOM in 2010, Wal-Mart introduced reform measures, the NGO facilitated genuine workers’ representative systems. Through direct action with the private sector, SACOM could bring about positive change at workplaces like Sunny Toys in Shenzen and Crown-Ace Toys in Dongguan NGOs influence legislation However, NGOs can also influence changes in regulations and legislation for the larger societal interests. In the developed countries the medicine markets are highly regulated. The poorest people in the developing countries do not have access to medicines for HIV, Tuberculosis, malaria and Aids (Mackintosh, Chaudhuri & Mujinja, 2011). NGO intervention in India and Africa has forced the social enterprises to rethink their strategy. NGOs such as The International Dispensary Association (IDA) have played a pioneering role in shaping the market through non-profit wholesaling. NGOs in Tanzania in particular have been able to enter the trading arena thereby improving access to essential medicines. They have been able to exercise a broader regulatory influence over their markets by influencing the behavior of their competitors. This suggests that in states or nations where the government is not proactive and the state lacks regulations, social enterprises can influence the market behavior and improve access to good quality essential medicines. The medicine markets and manufacturers also respond positively to NGO intervention. They are able to substitute for weak formal regulation. Impact on businesses – NGO intervention resulted in wholesalers complying with the changed regulations. Earlier there was no or improper documentation of medicines being imported. Official and private market imports were carried out simultaneously. However, with NGO intervention proper records were maintained. It improved market functioning and procurements became transparent. However, over time, the NGOs have been criticized and NGOs face identity crises. This is because they have deviated from their original mission. They need to go back to their roots and develop relationships of trust and solidarity with some popular organizations (Bebbington, 1997). To live up to their image and their original mission, NGOs need to be transparent, accountable, engage in sound management and ethical behavior. They need to uphold the very standards they expect from the public and the private sector. Conclusion The research suggests that the role of the NGOs as the mediators between businesses, society and the government has been very effective. They address issues such as poverty, health, environmental pollution and crime. They work in both ways – wherever necessary they can influence regulations. They also bring positive changes through direct action as in China against Wal-Mart. Nevertheless, incidences of NGOs excesses have started surfacing which demonstrates that they are deviating from their original mission. This can be counter-productive and they need to review their strategy and operations; they need to uphold their standards. Digital Natives Introduction The digital technology has certainly changed the way people think, act and work. This is more evident among the digital natives, children of the boomers that have literally grown up in the digital world. The term ‘digital natives’ refers to young boys and girls brought up in the digital age and surrounded by a plentitude of technological devices (Friedl & Verčič, 2010). The natives have grown up in a world influenced by rapidly changing technology. This generation is born with a chip and they have grown up with MTV, iPhones and iPads, with social networking sites and video games. Their comfort with new media technologies has brought unique competencies to the work place in the use of computer-mediated communication. Their thoughts, expectations and aspirations differ but this is certainly not a cause for serious concern at the workplace. In addition to ‘digital natives’, this generation is often defined by terms such as ‘Gen-Y’ers, Echo Boomers and Net Gens (Chaudhuri & Ghosh, 2012). Characteristics of Digital Natives The digital natives have unique characteristics and strengths. They are increasingly becoming a significant part of the population that thinks and behaves differently. They bring new skills and ideas into the workplace but at the same time they require new ways to be engaged and managed (Weg & Martin, 2011). While these characteristics manifest themselves in their behavior at the workplace, they also bring in certain changes which are unacceptable. We start by discussing a set of examples of either case. Acceptable changes include: The fact that they believe in collaboration, cooperation and expect to develop personal relationship with their superiors (Chaudhuri & Ghosh, 2012). They are impatient and they crave for recognition and feedback. They want flexible schedules and flexible location, and performance based competition motivates them. This generation wants a clear area of responsibility and a clear career map charted. They are motivated by instant gratification and by collaborative goal-setting. They love challenges and love to work on entrepreneurial projects. They create their own brand through learning, through relationships and through lifestyle flexibility. They look for benefits beyond money and are prepared to invest time on their future. However, the digital natives also bring with them and spread a set of workplace behavior traits that might be unacceptable at times. Such examples need conscious attention and effort to help managers and organization deal with such changes in workplace behavior. These include: An often demonstrated lack of empathy and having a grandiose perception of their self and crave for admiration and self-enhancing experiences (Jonsen, Martin & Weg, 2012). They have grown up with “positive tolerance” (whatever you think and speak is okay). They come to the workplace focused on maximizing their self-interest without concern for others. Speaking about confidential organization information on public forums and social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter By 2018 this generation would make for 50% of the working population. The single biggest issue is to retain the digital natives. The boomers too are working in the same environment and their needs, demands and values differ from those of digital natives. These are the issues that need to be managed to get the best out of the natives. Social media and digital natives – how it affects the work place Social media is a part of the universe of the digital natives. Nevertheless, the use of social media can lead to disastrous results. The digital natives bring with them blogs, wikis, mashups, RSS feeds and the so-called web 2.0 social networking tools that enables free collaboration in an enterprise environment. This group spends on an average two to four hours on the internet, which affects the organizational performance and productivity. As organizations started realizing this, they blocked the use of social networking sites but the digital natives have their iPhones to keep in touch. “Spim” or spam is sent through mobile phones and a “splog” is a spam blog (Warr, 2008). Social media has changed organizational behavior. The employees are harassed and even the sincere workers are forced to comply with others. Technology has adversely impacted the work environment. People are allowed to work remotely and this changes hierarchy within some organizations. Workplace aspirations The natives engage in multi-tasking and do not hesitate to update their face book profiles during working hours or watch clips on the YouTube which could even be a pornographic movie (Zur & Zur, 2011). However, no statistics are available to ascertain what percentage of the natives engages in such behavior. Since they are more tech savvy than the older generation, it gives them more powers but it can also create tensions. The natives find the 8-hour work day as an outdated construct. The “Twitter” revolution in the Middle East has demonstrated how masses of people can mobilize and organize as never before. However, the non-traditional views of the natives can lead to misunderstanding, tensions, conflicts and miscommunication. They thrive in participatory culture and prefer stimulation and satisfaction over stability. Their enthusiasm to share their ideas can lead to over-sharing thereby violating the privacy boundaries or result in a disproportionate mix of work and private life (Jonsen, Martin & Weg, 2012). The social media has forever changed how companies manage reputation. Corporate marketers are unable to control the messages spread through 150 million blogs, consumer opinion sites and worldwide message boards. People post message on Yahoo message boards under an alias but it is difficult to hide for long in the new “power of crowds and technology” universe (Bell, 2008). Companies like Astra Zeneca were editing negative entries against the company on Wikipedia but through digital technology it was possible to track their IP address. This was done by digital immigrants (the older generation that has adopted the digital technology). Thus it cannot be conclusively said that the natives alone bring damage to corporate reputation. CASE STUDY on using Social Media to protect Corporate Reputation: The Award-winning and market-leading CRM Tool – Salesforce.com recently introduced the concept of ‘Social CRM’ into their existing Salesforce.com platform (Innoveer, 2012). The thought behind it is simple and in their own words: “Use public social networks to listen and engage in new ways. Hear what’s being said. Automatically filter what’s important. Know who’s influential. And respond quickly and appropriately. Because questions and requests from customers on social networks become part of your case queue, social media is simply another channel that benefits from the features of the Service Cloud.” Such a system also helps employees of the digital natives react in a protected environment and the corporate having a way of monitoring how their employees interact with the customers, as well as with the outside world. For instance, the social network profiles (Facebook and Twitter profiles) of both employees and customers are integrated within the CRM System. Filtering and using selected information is the best measure of the adverse impact that technology has on work place behavior as employees tend to express their innermost feelings and plans through this platform. If the privacy and confidential documents and information of the organization are being used, they can easily be detected through filtering information. Conclusion The natives do not cause serious concerns. They are just demanding and restless. They prefer to work in a collaborative environment. Their attitude brings challenges to the work place which can be managed with some understanding on the part of the management. They need flexibility in terms of working hours and location, which may be considered on a positive note. They set goals and they work towards it and hence even if they are allowed to work from a café they would deliver. They seek instant gratification and they should be granted personal credits for their accomplishments. Reverse mentoring will help both the natives and digital immigrants. They do not accept hierarchy but the immigrants can show them how the older generation can help the natives build their careers and enhance their skill set with relevant discussions and training. It is essential to understand the power of the digital natives because this is what going to give companies the competitive edge. Innovation and creativity in every function including attracting, motivating and retaining talent has to be applied. And with the active engagement using Social CRM Tools like Salesforce.com, companies have found out a way to ensure protection of corporate reputation by actively engaging with their employees and customers over digital media. Thus, while there are inherent risks, digital natives are not a threat to the organization but assets that need to be nurtured. References Bebbington, A. (1997). New States, New NGOs? Crises and Transitions among Rural Development NGOs in the Andean Region. World Development, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1755-1765 Bell, J.H. (2008). Corporate Reputation in the “Social Age”. [Online] Available at : [Accessed 13 April 2012] Chaudhuri, S., & Ghosh, R. (2012). Reverse Mentoring : A Social Exchange Tool for Keeping the Boomers Engaged and Millennials Committed. Human Resource Development Review, vol. 11, pp. 55 Friedl, J., & Vercic, A.T. (2010). Media preferences of digital natives’ internal communication: A pilot study. Public Relations Review, vol. 37, pp. 84–86 Ha, S. (2002). The role of NGOs for low-income groups in Korean society. Environment and Urbanization, vol. 14, pp. 219 Heintz, S. (2006). The Role of NGOs in Modern Societies and an Increasingly Interdependent World. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 11 April 2012] Innoveer. (March 27, 2012). Facebook Integration Pushes Salesforce.com Social Power. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 21 April 2012] Jonsen, K., Martin, R., & Weg, S. (2012). Managing Digital Natives – Opportunity or Challenge? Tell me when you were born and I’ll tell you who you are. The European Business Review. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 13 April 2012] Mackintosh, M., Chaudhuri, S., & Mujinja, P.G.M., (2011). Can NGOs regulate medicines markets? Social enterprise in wholesaling, and access to essential medicines. Globalization and Health, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1-13 Porter, G. (2003). NGOs and poverty reduction in a globalizing world: perspectives from Ghana. Progress in Development Studies, vol. 3, pp. 131-147 Roberts, S.M., Jones III, J.P., & Fröhling, O. (2005). NGOs and the Globalization of Managerialism: A Research Framework. World Development, vol. 33, no. 11, pp. 1845-1864 Sexton, J. (October 24, 2010). NGO slams Disney, Walmart on working conditions. [Online] Available at: Read More