The thesis took its point of departure from existing knowledge of a possible lack of literature within NGO management and cross-cultural management. The main purpose of this thesis was therefore to contribute with a new theory, which could potentially benefit the chosen case of ActionAid Global Platform in Jordan. The thesis did so by conducting a literature review of the field of NGO management as well as cross-cultural management, which also established evidence to the proposed gaps in literature.
Through several pilot interviews conducted prior to the writing of the thesis, findings showed challenges provoked by the highly diverse workforce, which gave credence to the chosen area of research.

The thesis explored the area of research by taking the ontological position of social constructivism, where qualitative research was conducted through a focus group interview and a face-to-face semi-structured interview. As the thesis was based on new theoretical findings, it took a deductive approach, as the main focus was to test the adequacy of already existing theory. A hypothesis was therefore put forward. The findings of the collected data were then analyzed through a theoretical reading, though leaving space for additional themes to arise.

The findings of the literature review showed that Kouzes and Posner’s theory (2012) on how to improve management with the five leadership practices was an adequate theory for managers in NGOs, though missing the challenges of managing cross-culturally. The approach of personal cultural intelligence put forward by Egan and Bendick (2008) was found to be the most applicable theory to address the cultural challenges international NGOs could be facing. Hence, the literature review revealed how a combined theory of the model by Kouzes and Posner and the model by Egan and Bendick (2008) was the most suitable theory to use in order to address the challenges in the chosen case study.

The findings of the analysis showed how the manager at the Global Platform Jordan displayed parts of all five aspects of leadership, argued by Kouzes and Posner (2012), though still facing challenges when managing a highly culturally diverse workforce. It was therefore recommended that the manager received training in becoming culturally intelligent, as proposed by the newfound theory. The analysis further showed how the bottom-up strategic management is beneficial for the organization, as the flat hierarchical structure increases the level of involvement of the volunteers by giving them a high level of responsibility, which the findings have shown to be crucial when managing an NGO.

The findings were able to confirm the proposed hypotheses oh how “Existing literature on NGO management as well as cross-cultural management fails to adequately address management challenges in a NGO and cross-cultural organization, such as the Global Platform Jordan”, within the specifically chosen case. Indicators did, however, show how the contribution of new theory could be confirmed in other similar cases, in which a highly diverse workforce needs to be managed in an international NGO.
Hence, the study further provides suggestions to future research within the field of cross-cultural management that sets out to produce theory intended for NGOs.