1. FOUNDATIONS AND KEY POSTULATES: #
Origins: Mainly developed by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald Salancik in their book “The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective” (1978).
Vision of the Organization: The organization is seen as an open system, in constant interaction with its external environment, from which it draws the resources necessary for its survival and functioning.
Central Postulate: No organization is self-sufficient. They depend on external actors (other organizations, groups, institutions) to acquire critical resources (funding, information, legitimacy, qualified personnel, etc.).
Main Consequence: This dependency creates power relations. Actors who control access to critical resources gain power over the dependent organization.
Organizational Objective (according to RDT): The primary objective of managers is to ensure the organization’s survival by actively managing these external dependencies. They seek to maintain a stable flow of resources while preserving as much strategic room for maneuver (autonomy) as possible. The organization is not passive; it attempts to influence its environment.
Political Nature: RDT highlights the political dimension of organizational management, both internally (struggles for control of external links) and externally (negotiations, influence strategies).
2. CENTRAL CONCEPTS OF RDT: #
Critical Resource: A resource is considered critical if it is:
- Important: Essential to the functioning and survival of the organization (e.g., funding for an NGO).
- Rare / Concentrated: Difficult to obtain and/or controlled by a small number of external actors (e.g.: large subsidies from a few large donors).
- Non-Substitutable: Difficult to replace by another resource or another supplier.
Dependence: The degree of dependence of an organization (A) on an external actor (B) is a function of:
- The importance of the resource provided by B for A.
- The degree of discretion B has over the allocation and use of this resource.
- The degree of concentration of control of this resource (is B the only supplier or one of the few?).
Environmental Uncertainty: The difficulty in predicting the availability and flows of critical resources. High uncertainty increases vulnerability and dependency.
Power: The ability of one actor to influence the actions of another. In RDT, power derives largely from control of critical resources.
Dependency Management Strategies: Actions taken by the organization to reduce external constraints, secure resources and increase its autonomy.
3. DETAILED DEPENDENCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES (APPLIED TO NGOs): #
The RDT identifies several strategies that organizations employ to manage their dependencies. For African NGOs/CSOs, this may include:
- Stratégies d'”Adaptation” (Bridging) : Visent à gérer activement les relations avec les détenteurs de ressources.
- Diversification : Chercher de multiples sources de financement (différents bailleurs, types de subventions, revenus propres, dons locaux…) pour éviter de dépendre d’un seul acteur. Limite : coûts de transaction élevés, risque de dispersion.
- Contractualisation / Négociation : Établir des accords clairs (contrats de financement pluriannuels, partenariats) pour sécuriser les flux de ressources et réduire l’incertitude.
- Co-optation / Absorption: Integrate representatives of influential external stakeholders (donors, government officials) into governance bodies (Board of Directors) to anticipate their expectations and gain their support. Limit: risk of loss of decision-making autonomy (“capture”).
- Alliances and Coalitions (Joint Ventures): Partner with other NGOs to pool resources, respond to larger calls for projects, or increase collective bargaining power (advocacy).
- Influence Politique (Lobbying) : Tenter d’influencer les politiques publiques ou les stratégies des bailleurs en faveur de l’organisation ou du secteur. Limite : nécessite ressources et accès, risqué politiquement.
- Image Management / Legitimacy: Actively communicate to build a solid reputation and demonstrate added value, in order to attract resources.
- Stratégies de “Retrait” (Buffering) : Visent à protéger l’organisation des fluctuations externes.
- Storage / Accumulation: Building up financial reserves to cope with lean periods (difficult for many NGOs).
- Lissage (Smoothing) : Tenter de réguler les flux de demandes ou de ressources (ex: planifier les activités en fonction des cycles de financement prévus).
- Forecasting / Anticipation: Invest in strategic monitoring to anticipate changes in the financing environment.
- Stratégies de “Modification de l’Environnement” :
- Contrôle de ses propres ressources critiques : Développer une expertise unique, un accès exclusif à une population cible, pour devenir incontournable pour les bailleurs ou partenaires.
- Redéfinition du Domaine d’Action : Se retirer de domaines trop concurrentiels ou dépendants, et investir des niches où les ressources sont plus accessibles ou moins contrôlées. Limite : peut entrer en conflit avec la mission.
- Merger / Acquisition: Absorb or merge with another organization to reach a critical size or access new resources/networks (rarer in the African NGO context, but exists).
4. SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO AFRICAN NGOs/CSOs (REFINEMENT): #
- Nature of Dependence: Often a strong dependence on external financial resources (international aid), creating a marked North-South asymmetry. Dependence can also relate to legitimacy (recognition by the State or donors), technical expertise, or access to information.
- Concentration of Resources: Funding is often concentrated among a few large bilateral, multilateral, or foundation donors, each with its own priorities and agendas.
- Ambivalent Role of the State: The African state is often simultaneously a potential source of resources (grants, contracts), a regulator (association laws), a partner, and a controller (or even a competitor or threat), creating a complex dependency to manage. This is sometimes referred to as double dependency (external donors and the state).
- Importance of Informal Resources: Conventional RDT may underestimate the importance of crucial non-monetary or informal resources in Africa: volunteering, community support, access via social/ethnic/religious networks, traditional legitimacy…
- Heterogeneity: The nature and degree of dependence vary enormously between a small rural CBO and a large national NGO based in the capital.
5. STRENGTHS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF RDT TO OUR STUDY: #
- Focuses on Power: Allows for explicit analysis of power relations between NGOs and external actors (donors, State).
- Explains Organizational Strategies: Provides a framework for understanding why and how NGOs actively seek to manage their environment and gain autonomy (rather than seeing them as mere project implementers).
- Connects Environment and Action: Shows how environmental constraints (resource availability) shape strategic choices.
- Direct Relevance: Directly answers your question about autonomy, by linking it to resource management.
6. LIMITS AND CRITICISMS OF RDT (CONTEXTUALIZED): #
- Overestimated Rationality and Proactivity: The theory assumes a high degree of rationality and strategic capacity of leaders, sometimes neglecting organizational inertia, routines, limited capacities, or non-rational decisions.
- External Focus: Tendency to analyze less the impact of internal factors (organizational culture, leadership, staff skills) on the ability to manage dependency.
- Négligence Relative des Normes et de la Cognition : Moins outillée que la théorie institutionnelle pour expliquer les comportements de conformité liés à la quête de légitimité symbolique ou aux pressions normatives (le “il faut faire comme ça”).
- Sometimes “Managerial” Vision: May focus on dependency management techniques to the detriment of a critical analysis of global power structures (e.g., neo-colonial relationships in aid).
- Adaptation to the African Context: Must be applied with discernment, taking into account the high uncertainty, the importance of the informal sector, the specific role of the state, and the “hidden” resistance strategies (such as the mentioned double reporting) that formal theory does not always capture well.
7. ARTICULATION WITH OTHER THEORIES: #
RDT is not exclusive. It works well with:
- Institutional Theory (the quest for legitimacy is a strategy for obtaining resources).
- Agency Theory (dependence creates Principal-Agent situations).
- Social Network Theory (networks are the channels through which resources circulate and dependencies are created/managed).
- La Théorie des Parties Prenantes (les détenteurs de ressources sont des parties prenantes clés).
In summary, a deeper understanding of RDT provides a powerful analytical lever for understanding how African NGOs navigate their complex environment, struggle for survival and autonomy by managing their vital dependencies on multiple external actors. It is a dynamic theory that emphasizes organizational action and strategy in the face of constraints. Therefore, while it will constitute our main analytical framework in this study, we can also combine it with other theoretical approaches that are compatible with it.
