NGO strategy adaptation in response to regulatory changes
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2025-07-08
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en
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Abstract
Within Europe regulatory pressure on multinational enterprises is increasing to ensure corporate
accountability for human rights and environmental protection in global supply chains. The
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive marks a shift from voluntary to mandatory
governance, with Article 14 requiring adequate grievance mechanisms. This study examines
how Dutch NGOs adapt their strategies in response to these evolving regulatory frameworks,
particularly the CSDDD and the proposed Omnibus. It contributes to the literature by analysing
NGO strategy adaptation beyond agenda-setting, focusing on how they balance confrontation
and collaboration to ensure corporate accountability in practise. A qualitative, inductive case
study was conducted, using thematic coding supported by sensitizing concepts from Delalieux
et al.’s (2024) virtue and fortuna-framework. Public documents of 17 NGOs were gathered and
semi-structured interviews with seven Dutch NGOs were conducted. The results show that
NGOs mobilise internal capacities in response to, mainly political, contextual constraints.
Findings reveal three main strategies: lobbying and advocacy, narrative adaptation, and
alliance-building. These strategies can be applied simultaneously and take both confrontational
or collaborative forms, depending largely on internal capabilities and organisational identity.
This research pioneers the viewpoint that NGOs actively shape, defend, and implement
accountability frameworks through strategic adaptations in uncertain regulatory contexts.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen