Every organization pays lip service to stopping and reflecting on what it is doing and the best way(s) to continue doing a great job.

In their book “Building a Better International NGO,” James Crowley and Morgana Ryan argued that the concept needed far more than token approval. They wrote that considered reflection on the role and work of an organization is especially necessary at this time.

They list six fundamental factors that are especially important at prompting rethinking now:

• An ongoing shift in development thinking: A good example of this is the need to work more collaboratively, even if in a supporting role.
• An ever-increasing clamor for evidence of sustainable impact: This makes reflection extremely important.
• The role and involvement of other major actors: For example, the private sector is increasingly regarded as essential in driving sustainable economic development and as important to achieving sustainable poverty alleviation.
• A range of new organizations, either nonprofits, for-profits or hybrids providing services that existing organizations saw as their exclusive territory in the past.
• New areas in need of attention: This includes the effect of climate change on developing countries.
• Waves of new technological possibilities, particularly information technology, by which the work of large organizations is changing significantly.