Barriers to strategic direction in community-based social organizations

The objective of this study was to analyze possibilities for strategic direction according to the ways in which management processes are arranged in community social organizations which are anchored in local territories. The qualitative processes of data collection and analysis were developed with a phenomenological design through in-depth interviews, considering that reality is understood from the interactions and meanings that social leaders give to the management of community organizations. The findings were constructed inductively from the texts of the interviews to configure three categories: a) The administrative processes of community social organizations; b) Identity with the corporate platform of these organizations and c) Internal and external analysis of their dynamics. It was found that, although these organizations formally have a legal constitution that defines their purpose and government and documentationis available on administrative processes such as planning, their management practices are empirical and based on traditional experience. It was found that deficiencies in the commitment to the corporate platform, situational analysis and business conception are factors that become barriers for social managers to advance with strategic direction, seeking resources and increasing the scope of programs and projects.