Non-Governmental Organizations and Corporations

This research project analyses the transforming relationship between businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from pure antagonists to equal collaborators in the past two decades. This shift resulted as the effects of globalization have altered the global balance of power, decreasing the influence of national governments and the public sector in general. As a consequence, NGOs gained influence worldwide and the non-profit sector transformed into the voice of civil society, taking its place as an institutional actor next to its equally strengthened for-profit counterpart. Given this rise in global influence, and their collective influence and power, NGOs and businesses are believed to pose the sustainable solution to the global environment and societal problems we face today. Further, both actors have taken upon characteristics once thought constituent of the other, as the borders between the for- and non-profit sector have gradually become indistinct. Realizing the potential benefits and resources that each side may hold for the other, NGOs and business have thus begun to engage in dialogue and eventually form partnerships with one another. Departing from previous scholarship that examines the historically tense relations between the two actors, this research employs a qualitative approach, through conducting eleven expert interviews with professionals from NGOs that engage in collaborative partnerships with businesses to shed light on how the two sides forms collaborations with on another. The thesis therefore analyzes three different research questions in this regard, firstly determining the motivations in fostering NGO-businesses collaboration and secondly the challenges the two actors encounter in this process in addition to facilitators. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that organizations are shifting from pure financial arrangements towards sustainable solutions for global environmental as well as social issues, characterized as the creation of shared value in its most advanced form. However, existing scholarship also highlights the gap between theory and practical implementation as well as the missing insides on how to establish such deep forms of partnership. The research project therefore also draws a picture of the current state of NGO-business partnerships and offers insights for future collaborations. The research contributes to a growing body of scholarship that addresses the importance of NGOs as vital social actors and influencers in business-society relations. By focusing on the conditions under which business and civil society actors may collaborate, and the varied forms such collaborations may take, this research advances both conceptual and pragmatic implications. The thesis shows that organizations forge collaborations with one another based on the overarching motivation to achieve mutual value for both sides in regard to their organizational mission through the use of complementing intangible and tangible resources. Furthermore, three distinct levels (ideological, organizational, structural) in encountering challenges and how to overcome as well as facilitators are determined. Finally, the research challenges the applicability of existing theoretical frameworks based on hierarchical understandings of collaboration and offers insights for practical implications for successful partnerships based on a long-term perspective and strong organizational relationships.