NGOs as Learning Organizations in Developing Societies

The existing theoretical works claim that Non-Governmental Organizations should become Learning Organizations in order to adapt and survive in a complex and rapidly changing environment since the learning and knowledge are their main sources. However, theories of learning are often far removed from management interventions and policies designed to encourage learning. This study is primarily concerned by theories of Organizational Learning that occurs as a part of Non-Governmental Organizations in developing societies. The research study mainly consists of two parts: (i) Review of the existing literature on Non-Governmental Organizations as Civil Society Development Organizations, Organizational Learning, Learning Organizations and Social Context of Northern Cyprus, (ii) Case study on Turkish Cypriot Non-Governmental Organizations regarding to what extent they are Learning Organizations and to what extent they support sustainable community development by Creating Shared Value in Northern Cyprus.Using data obtained from mixed-method research strategy, the extent to which small Non-Governmental Organizations display the characteristics of a Learning Organization was investigated.