Understanding the Behavior of Nonprofit Boards of Directors: A Theory-Based Approach
Date
2003
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Publisher
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Abstract
The literature on nonprofit boards of directors is rich with prescriptive advice about the
kinds of activities that should occupy the board’s time and attention. Using organizational theory that has dominated the empirical investigation of private sector board
behavior (agency,resource dependence,and institutional),this article contributes to the
literature on nonprofit board governance in three important ways. First,it provides a
link between theory and practice by identifying the theoretical assumptions that have
served as the foundation for the “best practice” literature. Second,the article presents a
theory-based framework of board behavior that identifies the environmental conditions
and board/organizational considerations that are likely to affect board behavior. And
finally,it offers a set of hypotheses that can be used in future empirical investigations that
seeks to understand the conditions under which a nonprofit board might assume certain
roles and responsibilities over others.
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Keywords
non-profit, nonprofit, board of directors, organizational theory, research
Citation
Miller-Millesen, J. L. (2003). Understanding the behavior of nonprofit boards of directors: A theory-based approach. Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly, 32(4), 521-547.