PROJECT... AND THEN WHAT? PROJECTIFICATION AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR IMPROVING THE CAREER OF MANAGERS OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

BACKGROUND: Development of civil society occurs in various forms. One form of development is the activity of non-profit organizations, visible in the increase in number of foundations and associations around the world, as well as in Poland. The activities of these organizations in the corporate sector and the public sector are carried out through a sequence of implemented projects. Contemporary management trends penetrate the world of non-profit organizations. This is a result of progressive globalization and unification of management methods, leading to progressive temporalization, professionalization, hybridization, or automation of processes. In particular, the phenomenon of all-encompassing projectification and its identified variations, such as ‘euro-projectification’ (projects based on programs of the European Union institutions) can be observed when projects replace any activity taking place in the organization, in connection with the organization’s employees, or its environment. ASSUMPTIONS/APPROACH: The scientific debate on the phenomenon of projectification concerns the management of enterprises or projects in the public sector. A much smaller, almost negligible percentage of researchers concern themselves with aspects and consequences of projectification in the management of non-profit organizations (NPO). To contribute to the scientific discussion on projectification, the author will present the consequences of this phenomenon on the example of managers of Polish non-profit organizations. The aim of the study was to analyse managers’ experience of the process of projectification and to gain an understanding of how this phenomenon changed the way they manage their non-profit. METHODOLOGY: The data presented in this study concern 204 NPO managers. The results of the study were extracted from a representative survey conducted in Poland on a sample of 385 non-profit organizations. To fully illustrate this phenomenon, the study was supplemented with quantitative data from ten interviews conducted with NPO managers. The aim of the discussions was to collect more general data on the consequences of managing an increasing number of projects.