Stories of a Mission Mystique: The Success of The Salvation Army
Summary
Success of organisations in the public sphere is a much studied research subject. That makes sense because, the success of societies depends on the work of these kinds of organisations. Many studies use a quantitative approach and try to measure performance. This study has another angle and focuses on the organisational characteristics underlying success. Using the work of Goodsell (2011), I have assessed the success of The Salvation Army, a nonprofit organisation in The Netherlands, by gathering data through observations, interviews and document analysis. The results show that Goodsell’s framework helps to understand the success of The Salvation Army. Furthermore, all characteristics of success are to some extent present within organisation. Its mission plays a vital role, in particular. This has a strong positive influence on the other characteristics.