Forms of Employment and Green Project Management in Non-profit Organisations

Objective: The paper discusses the topic of non-profit organisations (NPO) with a particular emphasis on the relationship between Green (Sustainable) Project Management (GPM) and the forms of employment. NPOs strive to meet both social and business requirements, which makes them a unique type of organisation. The specific nature of their functioning, the scope of application of various types of project management concepts, methods and techniques, and especially the application of sustainable approach is still unclear. The aim of the paper is to determine the relationship between the way work is performed in a non-profit organisation and the frequency of using green project management practices (People, Planet, and Prosperity). Research Design & Methods: To verify the hypotheses, quantitative research was carried out and the CAWI technique was used. Respondents were people representing non-profit organisations in Poland with project experience. Findings: As a result of the research, it was found that the form of employment has little relationship with the frequency of application of green project management solutions. Statistically significant differences appear mainly in the People area (in particular in the areas of Work practices and decent work, and Training and Education). Implications / Recommendations: The configuration of employment structures in NPOs is a complex process requiring flexibility and strong relationship-building from managers. It results from formal and informal actions and operates under specific funding conditions. The research shows that employment form has little link to the frequency of GPM use. However, implementing GPM in NPOs demands more effort than in companies, as most funds are allocated to statutory goals, limiting incentives. Therefore, sustainable management culture and continuous stakeholder communication are essential. Contribution: The topic of the article should be considered important and current because in the literature on the subject, despite research in the area of green (sustainable) project management, the issue of NPOs has not been discussed very often so far. This study is the first to explore the relationship between forms of employment provision and the use of GPM practices.