Abstract

Very little research today has investigated the role of governance structure and three of its elements: shared knowledge, decision making and benefit sharing, in learning processes for innovation in member-serving nonprofit organizations (MSNPOs). This research project aims to develop a theory suggesting that the above elements play a significant role in the learning processes that leads to innovation in MSNPOs. Using qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 serving members from 10 MSNPOs in Australia, this project examines how governance structure and three of its elements support learning processes for innovation in the organizations. The study helps to build a nascent body of literature linking governance structure and its three elements, and strategic innovation in MSNPOs.