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Papers by Elizabeth Castillo
Business Ethics: A European Review
Journal of Organizational Change Management
Purpose Organizations increasingly operate under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA... more Purpose Organizations increasingly operate under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions. Traditional command-and-control leadership can be ineffective in such chaotic environments. The purpose of this paper is to outline an alternative model to help leaders and organizations navigate effectively through VUCA environments. By developing three fundamental capacities (absorptive, adaptive and generative), leaders can cultivate organizations capable of continuous synchronization with their fitness landscapes. Central tenets of the framework include diversity, slack, learning, humility, reflection in action and abductive logic. Design/methodology/approach This framework is designed based on literature insights, conceptual analysis and experts’ judgment. The paper integrates knowledge from a variety of disciplines and interprets them through the lens of complex adaptive systems. Findings This paper argues for a process centered, contemplative approach to organization...
Academy of Management Proceedings
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern e... more Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern era, organizations often work cooperatively to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. Collaborating organizations in the nonprofit sector are increasingly expected to produce system-level change as well. This collective impact approach is under-theorized and therefore not consistently actionable. A central puzzle is how formal nonprofit collaborations acquire resource inputs and transform them into outputs, outcomes, and impact while producing financial returns to sustain the backbone organization. Resource dependence theory is sometimes proposed as an explanatory framework, yet it does not explain the generation of a double bottom line (simultaneous production of social and financial returns). To address this gap in the literature, this study examined the role that resources play in a 501(c)3 collaboration of 29 arts and culture organizations in California. Using an informed grounded theory design with mixed methods of data collection and analysis, the investigation researched the anomaly of how a formal collaboration established in 2001 has been able to survive and grow when many similar organizations struggle financially. Through process tracing, the study identified resource inputs and documented their flow and transformation to discern the mechanisms of their mobilization and conversion. Process tracing was also used to assess seven rival hypotheses to explain the successful anomaly. Findings indicate the collaboration deploys multiple forms of capital (financial, physical, human, relational, symbolic, and structural) and generates some of these forms itself. The mechanisms for this endogenous genesis are catalytic processes (especially v communicating, leading, connecting, learning, and investing) that activate and transform the latent potential of tangible and intangible resources into productive forms to help sustain the collaboration. Six of the rival hypotheses were found to be either partially or not supported. The seventh, termed resource interdependence theory, was supported. Six affiliated propositions are presented. Beyond these theoretical contributions, the study systematically maps the currency of civil society, creating an actionable typology to serve as a framework to guide the design of collective impact strategies and philanthropic decision-making. The study suggests that the construct of capacity building may be more usefully thought of as capital building.
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership
Nonprofit Policy Forum
Metrics are essential for assessing performance and guiding course corrections. However, selectin... more Metrics are essential for assessing performance and guiding course corrections. However, selecting the wrong metrics can damage organizations and communities by promoting resource investment in activities that don’t lead to envisioned impacts. Therefore, it is essential to reflect on what qualities an effective set of metrics should possess before insisting on quantification. This concept paper articulates design principles for developing an index of the nonprofit sector. Drawing from complexity theory and axiology (philosophy of values), the paper explains fundamental questions and values considerations to assist index developers in creating effective measures. It argues for the use of a capabilities approach, operationalized as multiple capitals, as the design architecture. It suggests the social accounting framework of Integrated Reporting as a way to track these capitals over multiple levels and time horizons.
The Leadership Quarterly
Many studies describe leadership as a dynamic process. However, few examine the passage of time a... more Many studies describe leadership as a dynamic process. However, few examine the passage of time as a critical dimension of that dynamism. This article illuminates this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic review of empirical studies on temporal effects of leadership to identify if and how time has been considered as a factor. After synthesizing key findings from the review, the article discusses methodological implications. We propose that a computational science approach, particularly agent-based modeling, is a fruitful path for future leadership research. This article contributes to leadership scholarship by shedding light on a missing variable (time) and offering a novel way to investigate the temporal, dynamic, emergent, and recursive aspects of leadership. We demonstrate the usefulness of agent-based modeling with an example of leader-member exchange relationship development.
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
Fundraisers play a vital role in the success of nonprofit organizations, yet relatively little is... more Fundraisers play a vital role in the success of nonprofit organizations, yet relatively little is known about the experiences, motivations, and thought processes that inform their career choice and development. This exploratory, cross‐comparative case study of 3 fundraisers addresses this gap in the literature by examining some formative influences on fundraisers' careers, their professional growth aspirations and opportunities, and how, if at all, they engage in personal philanthropy. Results suggest that fundraisers' aptitudes, skills, and abilities may influence their career choice more than a sense of connection to the nonprofit sector or organizational mission. Further, fundraisers seek opportunities to exercise leadership at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Additionally, their personal philanthropy and social embeddedness play integral roles in their professional development. Although not large enough for generalization, these results suggest the need to study fundraisers holistically, including their psychological development and social embeddedness over time. We argue for the need to move beyond traditional marketing and public relations perspectives to explain fundraising. Instead, future studies should adopt a service‐dominant logic framing that considers fundraisers as part of a larger philanthropic ecosystem. We conclude with several questions to guide future studies toward this line of inquiry.
Journal of Convention & Event Tourism
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 2016
Financial sustainability is a persistent challenge in the nonprofit sector. Capacity building is ... more Financial sustainability is a persistent challenge in the nonprofit sector. Capacity building is sometimes presented as a way to address this challenge. This article proposes that the teaching of capacity building can be reframed as an economic construct, capital building. By understanding capacity building as the development and activation of capital in multiple forms (e.g., social, financial, reputational, process), organizations may gain new options for program design and strategic decision making to enhance their effectiveness and sustainability. This article reviews the construct of capacity building, relating it to various capital resources and how they generate capacity. It concludes with examples of how a capital-building approach can be integrated into existing university courses to support the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council's revised curricular guidelines.
The Foundation Review, 2015
• This article tells the story of a placed-based initiative to develop well-being and wealth in t... more • This article tells the story of a placed-based initiative to develop well-being and wealth in the historically underserved Diamond Neighborhood in San Diego, and discusses the place-based philosophy of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and the foundation's motivation for place-based work. • Its theory of change is presented through examples, along with the entry points the foundation chose for engagement and how it developed community capacity to engage effectively in this change work. • The article also discusses plans to transition ownership to the Diamond Neighborhood community when the foundation sunsets in 2030.
The Foundation Review, 2014
Business Ethics: A European Review
Journal of Organizational Change Management
Purpose Organizations increasingly operate under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA... more Purpose Organizations increasingly operate under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions. Traditional command-and-control leadership can be ineffective in such chaotic environments. The purpose of this paper is to outline an alternative model to help leaders and organizations navigate effectively through VUCA environments. By developing three fundamental capacities (absorptive, adaptive and generative), leaders can cultivate organizations capable of continuous synchronization with their fitness landscapes. Central tenets of the framework include diversity, slack, learning, humility, reflection in action and abductive logic. Design/methodology/approach This framework is designed based on literature insights, conceptual analysis and experts’ judgment. The paper integrates knowledge from a variety of disciplines and interprets them through the lens of complex adaptive systems. Findings This paper argues for a process centered, contemplative approach to organization...
Academy of Management Proceedings
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern e... more Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern era, organizations often work cooperatively to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. Collaborating organizations in the nonprofit sector are increasingly expected to produce system-level change as well. This collective impact approach is under-theorized and therefore not consistently actionable. A central puzzle is how formal nonprofit collaborations acquire resource inputs and transform them into outputs, outcomes, and impact while producing financial returns to sustain the backbone organization. Resource dependence theory is sometimes proposed as an explanatory framework, yet it does not explain the generation of a double bottom line (simultaneous production of social and financial returns). To address this gap in the literature, this study examined the role that resources play in a 501(c)3 collaboration of 29 arts and culture organizations in California. Using an informed grounded theory design with mixed methods of data collection and analysis, the investigation researched the anomaly of how a formal collaboration established in 2001 has been able to survive and grow when many similar organizations struggle financially. Through process tracing, the study identified resource inputs and documented their flow and transformation to discern the mechanisms of their mobilization and conversion. Process tracing was also used to assess seven rival hypotheses to explain the successful anomaly. Findings indicate the collaboration deploys multiple forms of capital (financial, physical, human, relational, symbolic, and structural) and generates some of these forms itself. The mechanisms for this endogenous genesis are catalytic processes (especially v communicating, leading, connecting, learning, and investing) that activate and transform the latent potential of tangible and intangible resources into productive forms to help sustain the collaboration. Six of the rival hypotheses were found to be either partially or not supported. The seventh, termed resource interdependence theory, was supported. Six affiliated propositions are presented. Beyond these theoretical contributions, the study systematically maps the currency of civil society, creating an actionable typology to serve as a framework to guide the design of collective impact strategies and philanthropic decision-making. The study suggests that the construct of capacity building may be more usefully thought of as capital building.
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership
Nonprofit Policy Forum
Metrics are essential for assessing performance and guiding course corrections. However, selectin... more Metrics are essential for assessing performance and guiding course corrections. However, selecting the wrong metrics can damage organizations and communities by promoting resource investment in activities that don’t lead to envisioned impacts. Therefore, it is essential to reflect on what qualities an effective set of metrics should possess before insisting on quantification. This concept paper articulates design principles for developing an index of the nonprofit sector. Drawing from complexity theory and axiology (philosophy of values), the paper explains fundamental questions and values considerations to assist index developers in creating effective measures. It argues for the use of a capabilities approach, operationalized as multiple capitals, as the design architecture. It suggests the social accounting framework of Integrated Reporting as a way to track these capitals over multiple levels and time horizons.
The Leadership Quarterly
Many studies describe leadership as a dynamic process. However, few examine the passage of time a... more Many studies describe leadership as a dynamic process. However, few examine the passage of time as a critical dimension of that dynamism. This article illuminates this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic review of empirical studies on temporal effects of leadership to identify if and how time has been considered as a factor. After synthesizing key findings from the review, the article discusses methodological implications. We propose that a computational science approach, particularly agent-based modeling, is a fruitful path for future leadership research. This article contributes to leadership scholarship by shedding light on a missing variable (time) and offering a novel way to investigate the temporal, dynamic, emergent, and recursive aspects of leadership. We demonstrate the usefulness of agent-based modeling with an example of leader-member exchange relationship development.
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
Fundraisers play a vital role in the success of nonprofit organizations, yet relatively little is... more Fundraisers play a vital role in the success of nonprofit organizations, yet relatively little is known about the experiences, motivations, and thought processes that inform their career choice and development. This exploratory, cross‐comparative case study of 3 fundraisers addresses this gap in the literature by examining some formative influences on fundraisers' careers, their professional growth aspirations and opportunities, and how, if at all, they engage in personal philanthropy. Results suggest that fundraisers' aptitudes, skills, and abilities may influence their career choice more than a sense of connection to the nonprofit sector or organizational mission. Further, fundraisers seek opportunities to exercise leadership at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Additionally, their personal philanthropy and social embeddedness play integral roles in their professional development. Although not large enough for generalization, these results suggest the need to study fundraisers holistically, including their psychological development and social embeddedness over time. We argue for the need to move beyond traditional marketing and public relations perspectives to explain fundraising. Instead, future studies should adopt a service‐dominant logic framing that considers fundraisers as part of a larger philanthropic ecosystem. We conclude with several questions to guide future studies toward this line of inquiry.
Journal of Convention & Event Tourism
Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 2016
Financial sustainability is a persistent challenge in the nonprofit sector. Capacity building is ... more Financial sustainability is a persistent challenge in the nonprofit sector. Capacity building is sometimes presented as a way to address this challenge. This article proposes that the teaching of capacity building can be reframed as an economic construct, capital building. By understanding capacity building as the development and activation of capital in multiple forms (e.g., social, financial, reputational, process), organizations may gain new options for program design and strategic decision making to enhance their effectiveness and sustainability. This article reviews the construct of capacity building, relating it to various capital resources and how they generate capacity. It concludes with examples of how a capital-building approach can be integrated into existing university courses to support the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council's revised curricular guidelines.
The Foundation Review, 2015
• This article tells the story of a placed-based initiative to develop well-being and wealth in t... more • This article tells the story of a placed-based initiative to develop well-being and wealth in the historically underserved Diamond Neighborhood in San Diego, and discusses the place-based philosophy of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and the foundation's motivation for place-based work. • Its theory of change is presented through examples, along with the entry points the foundation chose for engagement and how it developed community capacity to engage effectively in this change work. • The article also discusses plans to transition ownership to the Diamond Neighborhood community when the foundation sunsets in 2030.
The Foundation Review, 2014