Effective Insiders in the Voluntary Service Sector; Developing a Framework and Process for Service Organisations Engaging Volunteers
The volunteering sector has grown significantly in past decades and has become a prominent contributor to the workforce. A combination of drivers has created a growth in demand for volunteers and supply has not kept pace. In this environment, organisations that depend on a volunteer workforce need to focus on managing volunteers effectively to create and sustain their commitment to the organisation in the long-term. They also need to ensure that they have the processes in place to ensure that those who volunteer make a positive contribution toward the aims of the organisation by supporting them on their journey to become ‘Effective Insiders’. An ‘Effective Insider’ is defined as a volunteers who is engaged, motivated, skilled and – importantly – who integrates easily into teams. The approach to developing ‘Effective Insiders’ in organisations that depend upon volunteers is different to those for those that offer paid employment: as volunteers have different motivations and specific characteristics. For most of the 20th Century, volunteers have been managed by applying classical human resource management practices. These practices are an uncomfortable fit to the specific requirements of the volunteer workforce. The concept of Volunteer Management has been developed to address these flaws and this PhD contributes to knowledge about volunteer management processes and their suitability to creating effective insiders. This research explores the effectiveness of the processes that have been applied to volunteer management, the extent to which they support volunteers in transitioning from outsider to ‘Effective Insider’. The study employs a qualitative case study approach using multiple data sources including documents and semi-structured interviews. The PhD develops a framework mapping the process that volunteers go through when integrating into an organisation. Critical within this is the recognition that several points at which volunteers can exit (or be exited) from the organisation are required. The role of the manager throughout this process is explored, and the essence of being an ‘Effective Insider’ refined, providing contributions to practice.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations