Assessing the Performance Profiles of Microfinance Institutions: New Insights into the Management of Their Double Bottom-Line

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) deal with a double bottom line and often strive to maintain a balance. This paper investigates a network of MFIs that serves poor populations in rural Cameroon and explores the link between MFI performance and the network structure, by means of the contingency and fit theories and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. By looking at the organizational design of the network and the double bottom-line management issue of its MFIs, results show that the most performing efficient MFIs require less control from the network management team and are important contributors to the exploration of new solutions and services while dealing with a trade-off regarding their social activity. On the contrary, MFIs that have recently launched their activity and need more supervision from network managers greatly benefit from the exploitation of knowledge available within the network, while dealing with a trade-off as regards their financial activity. Between those two extremes, MFIs are deploying their activity with a balanced double bottom line. Transitory imbalances can therefore be considered as opportunities for exploration, by sustaining performance and fostering growth within the network, thus opening new insights into how observed trade-offs between the financial and social activities of MFIs should be considered.