Date of Conferral

4-22-2024

Date of Award

April 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Gary Kelsey

Abstract

Board members of human service nonprofit organizations (HSNPOs) perform within the self-governing nonprofit sector influenced by complex logics (reasoning) from institutions. Unknown are the origin, identity, role, or purpose of institutional logics or their influence on HSNPO board members to adopt or not adopt existing good ethical governance. This generic qualitative inquiry study explored HSNPO governance and ethics as experienced, described, and narrated by HSNPO board members. This study utilized the theoretical frameworks of institution theory, complexity theory, institutional complexity theory, and institutional logics metatheory. The concepts within these selected theories are interconnected in contextualizing institutional logics (reasoning of institutions) and ambiguous nature within HSNPO governance and ethical systems. The central research question explored the experiences of HSNPO board members relative to HSNPO governance and ethics. Subquestions explored HSNPO board member's perceptions of institutional logics and their roles in governing an HSNPO ethically. Through purposive sampling, eight HSNPO board members serving on U.S.-based HSNPO boards were recruited as participants. Data were coconstructed from participants' descriptive stories, taking an inductive and deductive approach during the manual processing of data. A key finding confirmed ambiguous institutional logics have a direct influence on HSNPO board members' sensemaking of good ethical governance layered in institutional complexity. This study serves as an impetus for positive social change by signaling to policymakers the time is now for a foundational and equitable national good ethical governance policy for tax-exempt entities under the U.S. social sector.

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