When success equals non-existence: Death as planned obsolescence in a nonprofit organization

Bhat, Nitesh (2026) When success equals non-existence: Death as planned obsolescence in a nonprofit organization. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2026 (1). ISSN 0065-0668

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Abstract

Organizational death is typically considered an undesirable outcome emerging from decline, failure, or any imposed closure. Parallelly, success is associated with impact, scale, and sustainability. However, my study of SELCO Foundation, an Indian nonprofit organization, presents a contrast. In my conversations, I repeatedly heard interviewees equate organizational death or non-existence as an aspirational ideal, or as a measure of their success. Data suggest that the idea of working toward organizational death unfolds as a planned obsolescence. Such obsolescence is a deliberate and moral aspiration to not exist despite organizational viability and legitimacy. I distil a four-phase process for how employees work toward organizational death: first, the idea of organizational permanence is problematized; second, success is redefined from an ecosystem standpoint; third, exit is embedded into organizational interventions, and finally, death is normalized as an aspirational state of organizational evolution. my study extends nonprofit theory by reframing organizational death as a potentially favorable outcome and offering new insight into how social ventures define success and mission completion.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Bhat, Nitesh
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Social sciences > Economics > Production > Sustainable development Social sciences > Social problems & services > Social action
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7897
Publisher URL:	https://doi.org/10.5465/amproc.2026.15285abstract

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