Good to Great and the Social Sectors is a book written by Jim Collins in 2007 in response to his original book Good to Great, which focused on the psychology of great organizations. When he originally published his groundbreaking study in 2001, he compared the characteristics of great businesses that had a lot of momentum against those organizations that just remained “good.”

When examining the performance of the organizations who utilized these principles, the author estimated that roughly a third of his readers were in the nonprofit sector (health care, the arts, education, and government agencies). Though the organizations that Collins examined in his original book were businesses, his research can applied to the social sector. He wrote Good to Great and the Social Sectors to communicate how those principles translate into the nonprofit sector. This article will give a brief overview of the concepts in the book.

  • Define greatness and strive to achieve organizational goals. Finding metrics for success in a nonprofit organization is instrumental in achieving goals. Unlike businesses, the social sector measures greatness in accordance with accomplishing mission, not increasing financial gain. It serves as a useful reminder for leaders and organizations to be held fully responsible for providing performances which are better than expected (so they can complete their mission), making a distinct impact (which the world would not experience if the organization stopped functioning), and staying strong (so they can continue to exist for many years).
  • Ensure you apply good leadership structure for your organization. Jim Collins communicates this as the “Level 5 Leadership” Principle. Organizations are complex and leadership structure should reflect the diversity and shared interested of all those who participate in the mission of the organization.
  • Bring on the right people to accomplish the mission of the organization. Prioritize recruiting and choosing the people to join the organization. Nonprofits have tighter financial constraints than private organizations and businesses so choosing the right people is imperative. Fortunately, social organizations can appeal to individuals desire to help and be filled with purpose as a way to motivate action.
  • Identify what makes your organization distinct and lean in. Jim Collins calls the process of identifying it’s unique mix as “The Hedgehog Concept.” The Hedgehog Concept combines three distinct things: (1) What is your organization passionate about? (2) What is it the best in the world at? and (3) What drives resources and revenue? Ultimately, resources in the social sector are as important as those in the corporate sector, because they influence people’s behavior and are associated with their values and mission. Once these questions are answered, do not deviate.
  • Create a strong brand identity. Otherwise known as “The Flywheel” in Jim Collins’ book, building a brand is a pivotal part of building momentum as an organization. Building brand identity and recognition helps individuals understand the mission and the organization’s capacity to deliver on that mission. Brand identity and Momentum then create a “flywheel” which advance the mission of the organization.

While there may be differences between the business sector and social sector, there are many things that both types of sectors share. Regardless of the sector an organization falls into, it is important to identify how to be truly exceptional. The implementation of these concepts will help any organization succeed.

Need help figuring out how to apply these concepts to your organization? MyCommunity exists to build relationships and tools that equip organizations so that they can maximize their impact. Our suite of tools is designed to help organizations of all sizes focus on their mission without worrying about the logistics. We understand the importance of building strong relationships, so we provide the necessary tools to maximize impact and make a difference like our easy-to-use platforms MyDonors and MyVolunteers. Likewise, MyNonprofitCoach equips nonprofits with the training they need to be successful. Schedule a demo for any of our solutions here.

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Source(s):
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=googlescholar&id=GALE|A425350817&v=2.1&it=r&sid=AONE&asid=51c41cf0
https://www.cabe.org/uploaded/Book_Reviews/Book_Review_Good_to_Great_and_the_Social_Sector.pdf
https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/organizational-effectiveness/good-to-great-and-social-sector-jim-collins#:~:text=Best%2Dselling%20author%20Jim%20Collins,good%20and%20a%20great%20society
https://gracelead.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/good-to-great-social-sectors-summary.pdf
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5df3bc9a62ff3e45ae9d2b06/t/5e28a2b1b178725d00efd67f/1579721394373/Good+to+Great.both.Collins.EBS.CDAC.pdf