logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

How to “Manage” in Chaos

Ruth McCambridge
February 18, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

I want to call people’s attention to the fact that in every story of a management fiasco, there are artifacts that you can point to—odd details that reflect the whole gestalt.

Here in Boston we are watching the spectacle of two new elected officials dealing with the chaos that has ensued after a historic bout with the weather. While the sheer numbers of inches of snowfall are awe inspiring, there has also been no break in the cold—so, no melting, and snow piles higher than anyone’s head. Games of cursing chicken, with cars going both ways on what are now treacherous one-way streets with seriously impeded visibility, and long lines of people waiting—sometimes in vain and in sub-zero temperatures—for public transportation, fights with shovels, small businesses with far fewer customers than they had expected this month, but also a lot of generous neighborliness and stoic plowing under ridiculous conditions all coexist in this surreal scene.

So, back to the elected officials. We have a new mayor and a new governor. Naming no names, one of them has apparently been elected to run a government in a place alien to him. He has chosen this moment to declare the performance of various colleagues in thankless and historically undercapitalized positions “unacceptable,” in a monotone—even before meeting with them to talk about how he might be able to help. He has also declared that the particular things they are responsible for are not his job, although these things affect everyone in the area he governs. Not a good look. The other elected official has settled in to getting creative and flattering everyone in sight for their good behavior. He is running good neighbor contests, using volunteers and social media liberally, and expecting the best from his colleagues.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Sure, some of it is style and personality, but some of it is also basic management philosophy, and everyone recognizes it for what it is even while delaying commentary and pointing fingers, because—well, because we have way too many other things to attend to.

My point is that you get what you pay for in terms of management technique. Today I wrote a newswire about yet another small clinic that has closed down, and I want to draw your attention to the way the chair of the board described what was going on. Are there similar markers waiting to expose themselves in your organization? Think about it.

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: Editor's NotesManagementManagement and LeadershipOrganizational culture and its drivers

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

Spring-2023-sidebar-subscribe
You might also like
The Nonprofit Sector and Social Change: A Conversation between Cyndi Suarez and Claire Dunning
Claire Dunning and Cyndi Suarez
Nonprofits as Battlegrounds for Democracy
Cyndi Suarez
How to Align Assets with Mission: Small Steps That Nonprofits Can Take
Anna Smukowski
So You Want to Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes?
Heather Hiscox
It’s Time for Philanthropy to Reimagine BIPOC Leadership Transitions
Cathy Dang and Liz Sak
Hierarchy and Justice
Cyndi Suarez

NPQ Webinars

April 27th, 2 pm ET

Liberatory Decision-Making

How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes

Register Now
You might also like
The book "Nonprofit Neighborhoods" leaning against a wall
The Nonprofit Sector and Social Change: A Conversation...
Claire Dunning and Cyndi Suarez
Nonprofits as Battlegrounds for Democracy
Cyndi Suarez
How to Align Assets with Mission: Small Steps That...
Anna Smukowski

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

NPQ-Spring-2023-cover

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.