Switching From Corporate to Nonprofit Work: Career Transitions of Commercially Imprinted Managers

Abstract

Despite an increasing number of executives who transition from for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, our understanding of how commercially imprinted managers navigate the new setting remains limited. We collected data in the form of biographical interviews and observations with managers who had previously held a leading position in a commercial company and moved to work for a not-for-profit organization. We offer a typology of three responses that commercially imprinted managers used and identify conditions related to individuals’ biographies that facilitate the use of such responses, including social sector engagement, hybridity in previous job positions, international exposure, volunteering, and a diverse network.