Gemma Donnelly-Cox | Trinity College Dublin (original) (raw)
Papers by Gemma Donnelly-Cox
International Journal of Management Reviews
The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institution... more The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institutional settings in which it operates, has never been stronger. In this introduction to IJMR's special issue on philanthropy, we examine the developing levels and directions of institutional philanthropy scholarship, together with the consensual and contradictory themes they exemplify and the theoretical leads to which they give rise. Modern philanthropic theory is still largely based on archetypes developed in the early 20th century that accord a central role to foundations in addressing social challenges, yet the complex health, education and social service fields within which philanthropy operates have changed dramatically. We argue for the elevation of, and deepening directions for, theoretical study of institutional philanthropy. At present, institutional philanthropy has a modest theoretical literature, at the same time as we can notice an extensive and growing grey literature in the philanthropic community, often grounded in traditional strategic management. We reflect on the grey literature's potential development into theoretical scholarship, drawing on and fusing with a broader range of academic disciplines and organizational theories, and the linked study of the field as a discourse community. Here, the challenges of visibility and transparency in relation to privacy are significant, whether for accountability or research access. How to cite this article: Harrow J, Donnelly-Cox G, Healy J, Wijkström F The management and organization of philanthropy: New directions and contested undercurrents.
Advances in Corporate Governance
The non-profit governance literature is emerging, multilevel, and disparate. This chapter provide... more The non-profit governance literature is emerging, multilevel, and disparate. This chapter provides a critical review of the scholarly literature on non-profit governance, identifies the distinctive and currently most important theoretical frameworks in the field, and outlines the models of good non-profit governance that have emerged, discussing their main traits. The chapter also examines the positions and roles ascribed in the literature to constituents, stakeholders, and other claimant groups involved in non-profit organisations and develops a novel approach to distinguishing between analytically different categories of claimants. The approach is proposed as a tool for future non-profit governance research. After acknowledging the limitations of its scope and identifying upcoming issues in non-profit governance, the chapter concludes with discussion of three lacunae in the current scholarship on non-profit governance that need to be addressed.
This study sets out to test the assumption that concepts of leadership differ as a function of cu... more This study sets out to test the assumption that concepts of leadership differ as a function of cultural differences in Europe and to identify dimensions which describe differences in leadership concepts across European countries. Middle-level managers (N = 6,052) from 22 European countries rated 112 questionnaire items containing descriptions of leadership traits and behaviours. For each attribute respondents rated how well it fits their concept of an outstanding business leader. The findings support the assumption that leadership concepts are culturally endorsed. Specifically, clusters of European countries which share similar cultural values according to prior cross-cultural research (S. Ronen & O. Shenkar, 1985), also share similar leadership concepts. The leadership prototypicality dimensions found are highly correlated with cultural dimensions reported in a comprehensive cross-cultural study of contemporary Europe (P. B. Smith, S. Dugan and F. Trompenaars, 1996). The ordering o...
Social Enterprise Journal, 2021
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the complexity-based tempora... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the complexity-based temporary innovation system (TIS) framework to social innovation and examine the extent to which “nature-based solution” (NBS) projects may be understood through a TIS lens. It is proposed that TIS provides a framework to facilitate multi-actor engagement in social innovation responses to the complexity of wicked problems? The goal is to explore if TIS provides a useful framework for understanding the evolution of social innovation projects and enabling more consciously designed and facilitated social innovation with the potential for large-scale, long-term impact. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a case study methodology in which 10 NBS projects in 3 European cities are examined and compared to the expected features of a TIS as proposed by anonymised for the review process (2018; 2019) Findings Of the 10 NBS projects, only 3 were “TIS-like”, each of which was targeting wicked prob...
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2007
... Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Siobhán McGee Developing a Ca... more ... Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Siobhán McGee Developing a Case for State Investment Institutionalizing Support for Nonprofit Management Education: Published by: ... Gemma Donnelly-Cox Siobhán McGee Trinity College Dublin ...
Research Handbook on Nonprofit Governance
Governance has in many respects become the new management. Just as management succeeded administr... more Governance has in many respects become the new management. Just as management succeeded administration from the 1960s onwards (Grey, 1999), so governance has replaced management as the label for steering practices and the distribution of authority in organizations, nation states, politics and various other subfields of society. In this introductory chapter, we will weave the contributions to this Handbook together with prior research into the governance 'story' of the 2020s, and thereby discuss the ways in which the Research Handbook on Nonprofit Governance covers and advances the field. We structure this chapter as follows. First, we review governance definitions and the development of the nonprofit governance concept. Then we map the field of nonprofit governance through a focus on organizing contexts, environmental contexts and constituencies, and we consider some of the governance practices that emerge within them. Next, we examine the governance theory-practice nexus by sketching out the theoretical perspectives considered by the Handbook's contributors. We conclude by indicating some of the lacunae that remain.
SSRN Electronic Journal
... Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications. Donnelly-Cox, G; F. Donoghue and... more ... Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications. Donnelly-Cox, G; F. Donoghue and T. Hayes (2001). Conceptualising the Third Sector in Ireland, North and South. Voluntas. 12:3, 195-204. Donnelly-Cox, G; B Moller and A O'Regan (1999). ...
Nonprofit Policy Forum, 2012
The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the major nonprofit policy issues in Ireland ... more The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the major nonprofit policy issues in Ireland from the perspectives of government, nonprofits themselves and society generally. We have identified the key areas for examination as: economic, legislative, political and cultural contexts of nonprofit-state interaction. We have taken these dimensions as the template for the paper. We commence each section with a context setting overview of the factors relevant to a discussion of the policy issues. We then detail the major policy issues and available options. To conclude, we review the alternatives facing nonprofits.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
ABSTRACT The paper reports and reflects on the development, over the period 1997 - 2004, of a typ... more ABSTRACT The paper reports and reflects on the development, over the period 1997 - 2004, of a typology and growth model of nonprofit organisations, through an iterative research process involving academics, practitioners and undergraduate students. The conceptual development of the models is first outlined. The models are then critiqued relative to three aspects of theoretical value, managerial utility and pedagogic capacity. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on the impact of the varied requirements of the different audiences for organisational and managerial research.
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2014
ABSTRACT In this paper we explore the nature of hybrid organisations and report on the existence ... more ABSTRACT In this paper we explore the nature of hybrid organisations and report on the existence over time in social housing in Ireland. We first review the literature to identify three different conceptualisations of the concept of hybridity and its relation to the study on nonprofit organisations. We then look at hybridity in social housing in Ireland over three centuries-drawing upon previous empirical research from Mullins et al. (Non-profit housing organisations in Ireland, North and South: changing forms and challenging futures. Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Belfast, 2003) and Rhodes (Public services as complex adaptive systems: a framework for theory development. Trinity College Dublin, Unpublished PhD Thesis, 2008)-to assess which of the conceptualisations is most relevant to the Irish context. We conclude that the 'fit-for-purpose' approach as represented by Dees and Anderson (Society 40:16-27, 2003) and explored in recent social entrepreneurship literature is most relevant to the Irish case, and suggest that this should be augmented by the argument put forth by Mullins et al. (Hous Stud 27(4):405-417, 2012) that the concept of hybridity is more analytically valuable as a dynamic process rather than a static description.
Voluntary Sector Review, 2010
... Finally, an organisation can reduce the alternatives open to the other party by ... as a legi... more ... Finally, an organisation can reduce the alternatives open to the other party by ... as a legitimisingresponse, concerns were also expressed among interviewees about collaborative responses that mask ... The PhD research is case-based and employs journaling to surface and check ...
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2014
ABSTRACT
International Journal of Management Reviews
The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institution... more The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institutional settings in which it operates, has never been stronger. In this introduction to IJMR's special issue on philanthropy, we examine the developing levels and directions of institutional philanthropy scholarship, together with the consensual and contradictory themes they exemplify and the theoretical leads to which they give rise. Modern philanthropic theory is still largely based on archetypes developed in the early 20th century that accord a central role to foundations in addressing social challenges, yet the complex health, education and social service fields within which philanthropy operates have changed dramatically. We argue for the elevation of, and deepening directions for, theoretical study of institutional philanthropy. At present, institutional philanthropy has a modest theoretical literature, at the same time as we can notice an extensive and growing grey literature in the philanthropic community, often grounded in traditional strategic management. We reflect on the grey literature's potential development into theoretical scholarship, drawing on and fusing with a broader range of academic disciplines and organizational theories, and the linked study of the field as a discourse community. Here, the challenges of visibility and transparency in relation to privacy are significant, whether for accountability or research access. How to cite this article: Harrow J, Donnelly-Cox G, Healy J, Wijkström F The management and organization of philanthropy: New directions and contested undercurrents.
Advances in Corporate Governance
The non-profit governance literature is emerging, multilevel, and disparate. This chapter provide... more The non-profit governance literature is emerging, multilevel, and disparate. This chapter provides a critical review of the scholarly literature on non-profit governance, identifies the distinctive and currently most important theoretical frameworks in the field, and outlines the models of good non-profit governance that have emerged, discussing their main traits. The chapter also examines the positions and roles ascribed in the literature to constituents, stakeholders, and other claimant groups involved in non-profit organisations and develops a novel approach to distinguishing between analytically different categories of claimants. The approach is proposed as a tool for future non-profit governance research. After acknowledging the limitations of its scope and identifying upcoming issues in non-profit governance, the chapter concludes with discussion of three lacunae in the current scholarship on non-profit governance that need to be addressed.
This study sets out to test the assumption that concepts of leadership differ as a function of cu... more This study sets out to test the assumption that concepts of leadership differ as a function of cultural differences in Europe and to identify dimensions which describe differences in leadership concepts across European countries. Middle-level managers (N = 6,052) from 22 European countries rated 112 questionnaire items containing descriptions of leadership traits and behaviours. For each attribute respondents rated how well it fits their concept of an outstanding business leader. The findings support the assumption that leadership concepts are culturally endorsed. Specifically, clusters of European countries which share similar cultural values according to prior cross-cultural research (S. Ronen & O. Shenkar, 1985), also share similar leadership concepts. The leadership prototypicality dimensions found are highly correlated with cultural dimensions reported in a comprehensive cross-cultural study of contemporary Europe (P. B. Smith, S. Dugan and F. Trompenaars, 1996). The ordering o...
Social Enterprise Journal, 2021
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the complexity-based tempora... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the complexity-based temporary innovation system (TIS) framework to social innovation and examine the extent to which “nature-based solution” (NBS) projects may be understood through a TIS lens. It is proposed that TIS provides a framework to facilitate multi-actor engagement in social innovation responses to the complexity of wicked problems? The goal is to explore if TIS provides a useful framework for understanding the evolution of social innovation projects and enabling more consciously designed and facilitated social innovation with the potential for large-scale, long-term impact. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a case study methodology in which 10 NBS projects in 3 European cities are examined and compared to the expected features of a TIS as proposed by anonymised for the review process (2018; 2019) Findings Of the 10 NBS projects, only 3 were “TIS-like”, each of which was targeting wicked prob...
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2007
... Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Siobhán McGee Developing a Ca... more ... Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Siobhán McGee Developing a Case for State Investment Institutionalizing Support for Nonprofit Management Education: Published by: ... Gemma Donnelly-Cox Siobhán McGee Trinity College Dublin ...
Research Handbook on Nonprofit Governance
Governance has in many respects become the new management. Just as management succeeded administr... more Governance has in many respects become the new management. Just as management succeeded administration from the 1960s onwards (Grey, 1999), so governance has replaced management as the label for steering practices and the distribution of authority in organizations, nation states, politics and various other subfields of society. In this introductory chapter, we will weave the contributions to this Handbook together with prior research into the governance 'story' of the 2020s, and thereby discuss the ways in which the Research Handbook on Nonprofit Governance covers and advances the field. We structure this chapter as follows. First, we review governance definitions and the development of the nonprofit governance concept. Then we map the field of nonprofit governance through a focus on organizing contexts, environmental contexts and constituencies, and we consider some of the governance practices that emerge within them. Next, we examine the governance theory-practice nexus by sketching out the theoretical perspectives considered by the Handbook's contributors. We conclude by indicating some of the lacunae that remain.
SSRN Electronic Journal
... Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications. Donnelly-Cox, G; F. Donoghue and... more ... Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications. Donnelly-Cox, G; F. Donoghue and T. Hayes (2001). Conceptualising the Third Sector in Ireland, North and South. Voluntas. 12:3, 195-204. Donnelly-Cox, G; B Moller and A O'Regan (1999). ...
Nonprofit Policy Forum, 2012
The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the major nonprofit policy issues in Ireland ... more The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the major nonprofit policy issues in Ireland from the perspectives of government, nonprofits themselves and society generally. We have identified the key areas for examination as: economic, legislative, political and cultural contexts of nonprofit-state interaction. We have taken these dimensions as the template for the paper. We commence each section with a context setting overview of the factors relevant to a discussion of the policy issues. We then detail the major policy issues and available options. To conclude, we review the alternatives facing nonprofits.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
ABSTRACT The paper reports and reflects on the development, over the period 1997 - 2004, of a typ... more ABSTRACT The paper reports and reflects on the development, over the period 1997 - 2004, of a typology and growth model of nonprofit organisations, through an iterative research process involving academics, practitioners and undergraduate students. The conceptual development of the models is first outlined. The models are then critiqued relative to three aspects of theoretical value, managerial utility and pedagogic capacity. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on the impact of the varied requirements of the different audiences for organisational and managerial research.
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2014
ABSTRACT In this paper we explore the nature of hybrid organisations and report on the existence ... more ABSTRACT In this paper we explore the nature of hybrid organisations and report on the existence over time in social housing in Ireland. We first review the literature to identify three different conceptualisations of the concept of hybridity and its relation to the study on nonprofit organisations. We then look at hybridity in social housing in Ireland over three centuries-drawing upon previous empirical research from Mullins et al. (Non-profit housing organisations in Ireland, North and South: changing forms and challenging futures. Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Belfast, 2003) and Rhodes (Public services as complex adaptive systems: a framework for theory development. Trinity College Dublin, Unpublished PhD Thesis, 2008)-to assess which of the conceptualisations is most relevant to the Irish context. We conclude that the 'fit-for-purpose' approach as represented by Dees and Anderson (Society 40:16-27, 2003) and explored in recent social entrepreneurship literature is most relevant to the Irish case, and suggest that this should be augmented by the argument put forth by Mullins et al. (Hous Stud 27(4):405-417, 2012) that the concept of hybridity is more analytically valuable as a dynamic process rather than a static description.
Voluntary Sector Review, 2010
... Finally, an organisation can reduce the alternatives open to the other party by ... as a legi... more ... Finally, an organisation can reduce the alternatives open to the other party by ... as a legitimisingresponse, concerns were also expressed among interviewees about collaborative responses that mask ... The PhD research is case-based and employs journaling to surface and check ...
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2014
ABSTRACT