Cognitive Apprehensions of NGO Strategists

The third sector refers to a heterogeneous and fragmented field in which movements and organisations of the most diverse origins and purposes operate. What they have in common is their ’non-governmental’ and ’non-profit’ nature. Beyond the interests of their founders, the objectives of these organisations are aimed at providing services to society and also reflect their alignment with social demands, cultural traits, and legal, economic and political conditions. To a greater or lesser extent, consciously or unconsciously, the leaders of these organisations need to deal with all these elements, which reflect strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Studies show that many non-governmental organisations have a number of administrative limitations that prevent them from positioning themselves strategically, either in relation to their own institutional development or as providers of activities of public interest to society. This work seeks to analyse, through multiple cases, the dynamics of strategy formation in third sector organisations, considering how their leaders understand the micro and macro dimensions of their environments.