Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2002
Abstract
Nonprofit leaders are frequently passionate about their organizations, many having devoted their lives and sacrificed significant material benefits for the sake of their causes. Often, though, this intense devotion unconsciously engenders an attitude of ownership towards their organizations (“This is my cause,” “I know best,” “No one else could possibly care/know/do as much as I do.”), rather than an attitude of stewardship (“We must welcome the best and all work in partnership together to address this great cause, and see that it continues addressing this need long after we are gone.”). This ethnographic study examined one nonprofit organization that espoused and essentially practiced the value of stewardship, to discover the attributes that created and perpetuated that culture. We uncovered critical organizational/systemic and personal/leadership traits that stimulate or obstruct stewardship in nonprofit organizations, which inform both governance and human resource practice.
Keywords
stewardship, leadership, governance, nonprofits
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Clemenson, Barbara, "The "Shop" Around the Corner: How Do Leadership Attitudes Effect An Organization? An Ethnographic Study" (2002). Student Scholarship. 429.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/429
