Determinants of Organizational Learning Among Nonprofit Youth Mentoring Programs

Background & Purpose: Nonprofit human service organizations (HSOs) may use different strategies to enhance program effectiveness and demonstrate public accountability. One strategy is the development of knowledge sharing systems to support organizational learning and staff engagement in evidence-informed practice (Senge, 2006). Studies to date have emphasized the importance of organizational and managerial factors for promoting organizational learning (Austin et al., 2012; McBeath et al., 2015). However, because the empirical literature has largely been developed through case studies, the specific influence of these factors on the creation of knowledge sharing systems has not been identified fully. The current study analyzes quantitative data from a multi-state survey of staff in nonprofit youth mentoring programs to examine the organizational and managerial determinants of organizational learning.

Methods: An online survey of paid staff and volunteers in 73 nonprofit youth mentoring programs across 7 states was conducted in Summer 2015. 33% of the programs were standalone nonprofits; and 41% were programs within larger nonprofits. 253 of 337 staff (74%) completed the survey. Measurement of the dependent variable of organizational learning involved a 9-item ordinal scale (sample items included “My organization promotes knowledge sharing among co-workers about effective service delivery”, “My organization regularly schedules meetings/opportunities that facilitate knowledge sharing between supervisors and direct service staff”; alpha=0.88).

There were two key predictors. The first was an 8-item ordinal scale of the effectiveness of management and program practices (sample items included “My agency is transparent about how decisions are made”, “I have been involved in discussions regarding policies, procedures, and planning decisions”; alpha=0.86). The second was a 3-item ordinal scale of organizational innovation (sample items included “How often do new interventions or techniques that the staff from your program learn at trainings get adopted for general use?; alpha=.83). Multivariate ordinal logistic regressions with agency-clustered standard errors were conducted, controlling for respondents’ experience within the program and in their current position, formal role, and other demographic factors.

Results: On average, respondents noted a high level of organizational learning within the nonprofit youth mentoring programs (M=4.4/6, SD=0.75); registered positive perceptions of the effectiveness of management and program practices (M=4.8/6; SD=0.91); and noted “some” opportunities for organizational innovation (M=3.4/5; SD=0.67). Multivariate analyses determined that, as hypothesized, perceived levels of organizational learning were positively associated with management and program effectiveness (OR=1.7, p=0.03) and organizational innovation opportunities (OR=8.9, p=0.00).

Conclusion: This study provides the first estimates of the organizational and managerial factors informing the development of knowledge sharing systems among nonprofit HSOs. The primary findings suggest that perceptions of learning organizational opportunities within nonprofit youth mentoring programs are influenced by the perceived quality of current management and program practices as well as the presence of opportunities for organizational innovation. These results reinforce the conclusions of prior studies suggesting that learning organizational cultures depend on inclusive management practices, effective program structures, and organizational receptivity to testing new ideas. Implications for future research include the importance of developing longitudinal studies to examine the organizational, managerial, and frontline conditions under which knowledge sharing systems are sustained.