Understanding the differences between high and low performing lngos and other factors associated with organizational development in Ethiopia

Background: Ethiopian local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) serve a key role in providing services throughout the country and operate at various levels of organizational development. But what does a developed organization look like and what sets apart high and low performing organizations? Methods: Longitudinal quantitative study to measure organizational development of 44 LNGOs in Ethiopia using the MODE tool (Measuring Organizational Development and Effectives tool). In analysis, the sample was split into two tiers by total organizational development score to highlight differences between high and low scoring organizations and a correlation analysis was completed to identify associations between capacity and organizational growth. Results: Organizational mission and financial management were the highest scoring domains on average for both high and low scoring organizations. Top scoring organizations excelled in strategic planning, operational planning, and fundraising. Large staff size (> 200 staff), organization maturity (>13 years) and budget (> $450,000) significantly correlated to higher scores in strategic and operational planning, and management of people. Conversely, these factors significantly correlated to lower scores in management of information and quality management domains. Discussion: There are key organizational domains that separate high and low scoring organizations. This highlights the need to evaluate organizational development in order to design appropriate capacity building efforts and develop Ethiopia's LNGO sector. Additionally, as organizations grow in budget, staff size, and age, there are compromises in key organizational structures and systems. To prevent this trade-off during organizational growth, focus can be placed in these areas to propel organizations from good to great.