The organizational effectiveness of third sector organizations: A dialogic-participatory action research in a regional food bank

The study of organizational effectiveness (OE) within nonprofit organizations is a well-established area of inquiry in international scholarly literature. This focus is particularly crucial in organizations where internal relational dynamics may sometimes be overshadowed by a strong mission- and values-driven identity. This article proposes a relational analysis of OE, employing this interpretive framework to examine the specific organizational context of food banks, complex entities operating at multiple levels with a specialized role in food recovery for charities addressing food poverty. Drawing on evidence from a dialogic-participatory action research conducted within an Italian regional food bank, the study pursued a dual objective. Firstly, it aimed to facilitate the collective construction of knowledge, promoting a cohesive environment for sharing and integrating knowledge to address real-world challenges effectively. Secondly, it sought to empower participants by providing them with opportunities for active engagement in effecting changes and improvements through participatory reflection, thus devising actionable strategies to enhance organizational effectiveness.