Alnoor Ebrahim
There are 6 articles for this faculty member.
About Faculty in this Article:
Alnoor Ebrahim is an associate professor in the General Management unit at Harvard Business School.
The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance
| Published: | December 14, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
| Forum: | open for comment; 4 Comments posted |
In this era of scarce economic resources, the pressure on nonprofit managers to show quantifiable results is greater than ever. Alnoor S. Ebrahim and philanthropist Mario Morino discuss the differences and similarities between performance measurement in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
Published in 2010
The Limits of Nonprofit Impact: A Contingency Framework for Measuring Social Performance
| Authors: | Alnoor Ebrahim and V. Kasturi Rangan |
|---|---|
| Published: | July 9, 2010 |
| Paper Release Date: | May 2010 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
The social sector is in the midst of a search for metrics of impact. Over the past 20 years, there has been an explosion in methodologies and tools for assessing social performance and impact, but with little systematic analysis and comparison across these approaches. In this paper, HBS professors Alnoor Ebrahim and V. Kasturi Rangan provide a synthesis of the current debates and, in so doing, offer a typology and contingency framework for measuring social performance. Their contingency approach suggests that—given the varied work, aims, and capacities of social sector organizations—some organizations should be measuring long-term impacts, while others should stick to measuring shorter-term results. The researchers provide a logic for determining which kinds of measures are appropriate, as driven by the goals of the organization and its operating model.
The Hard Work of Measuring Social Impact
| Published: | June 14, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Donors are placing nonprofits on the hot seat to measure social performance. Problem is, there is little agreement on what those metrics should be. Professor Alnoor Ebrahim on how nonprofit managers should respond.
The Many Faces of Nonprofit Accountability
| Author: | Alnoor Ebrahim |
|---|---|
| Published: | March 11, 2010 |
| Paper Release Date: | February 2010 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
Nonprofit leaders face multiple, and sometimes competing, accountability demands: from numerous actors (upward, downward, internal), for varying purposes (financial, governance, performance, mission), and requiring differing levels of organizational response (compliance and strategic). Yet is it feasible, or even desirable, for nonprofit organizations to be accountable to everyone for everything? The challenge for leadership and management is to prioritize among competing accountability demands. This involves deciding both to whom and for what they owe accountability. HBS professor Alnoor Ebrahim provides an overview of the current debates on nonprofit accountability, while also examining the tradeoffs inherent in a range of accountability mechanisms.
Published in 2009
Improving Accountability at the World Bank
| Published: | September 28, 2009 |
|---|---|
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Its legitimacy and effectiveness on the line, the World Bank faces criticism from its constituents and the civil society organizations that serve them. What options and arguments for accountability make the most sense for global governance institutions like the World Bank? HBS professor Alnoor Ebrahim testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on paths to change.
Published in 2007
Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society
| Authors: | Alnoor S. Ebrahim and Steve Herz |
|---|---|
| Published: | November 14, 2007 |
| Paper Release Date: | October 2007 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
What difference has civil society activism made to the World Bank? More specifically, how and to what extent have civil society actors furthered the accountability of the World Bank to its constituents? The case of the World Bank is important for 2 main reasons: The Bank has not only been a major target of civil society activism, but it has also been comparatively responsive in developing various forms of engagement with civil society, possibly more than any other multilateral institution. This paper describes key accountability challenges facing the institution and reviews accountability mechanisms currently in place at 4 different organizational levels. It then explores efforts from civil society groups to increase accountability, and notes the successes and failures of these reform efforts.
