This paper juxtaposes the expectations of event managers and sports event volunteers in a case study organisation. These are understood within the theoretical framework of the psychological contract. Results show the distinctive contribution volunteers can make to events but also the distinctive challenges they present to event managers. For event managers, volunteers bring: enthusiasm, a good relationship and empathy with the public, and they provide a cheaper labour force. But a major concern is ensuring their reliability. For volunteers, important expectations include: flexibility of engagement, the quality of personal relationships, recognition for their contribution, and a clear communication of what they are expected to do. The juxtaposition of event manager and volunteer perspectives illustrates the need for a different approach to managing volunteers in comparison to paid employees. This reflects both volunteers' expectations and the recognition that they have greater autonomy; not being tied to a contract by financial rewards or a related career progression. More generally the results illustrate the use of the theoretical framework provided by the psychological contract but that in using this it is valuable to compare the perspectives of managers and volunteers, using a qualitative approach to understand this social relationship.Résumé Cet article juxtapose aux attentes des organisateurs celles des volontaires d'événements sportifs dans une organisation d'études de cas. Ceci doit être compris dans le cadre théorique du contrat psychologique. Les résultats indiquent la contribution caractéristique que les bénévoles peuvent apporter aux événements mais aussi les défis caractéristiques qu'ils présentent aux organisateurs. Pour les organisateurs, les bénévoles apportent : de l'enthousiasme, une bonne relation et de l'empathie vis-à-vis du public ; ils offrent aussi une force de travail meilleur marché. Cependant, la principale préoccupation est d'assurer leur fiabilité. En ce qui concerne les bénévoles, les attentes les plus importantes comprennent : la souplesse de l'engagement, la qualité des relations personnelles, la reconnaissance de leur contribution et une communication claire de ce que l'on attend d'eux. La juxtaposition des perspectives des organisateurs et des bénévoles, illustre le besoin d'une approche différente pour gérer les bénévoles par opposition aux employés rému-nérés. Ceci reflète à la fois les attentes des volontaires et la reconnaissance qu'ils ont d'une plus grande autonomie qui n'est pas liée pas les obligations d'un contrat ou un avancement de carrière. Plus généralement, les résultats illustrent l'utilisation du cadre théorique fourni par le contrat d'ordre psychologique mais ceci en utilisant sa valeur pour comparer les perspectives des managers et volontaires, en utilisant une approche qualitative pour comprendre cette relation sociale.Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel stellt die Erwartungen von Veranstaltungsmanagern von Sportveranstaltungen denen von freiwilligen Helfern in einer ...
Considerations of Olympic Games’ legacies have focused on economic benefits, with little consideration given to the potential legacy from the substantial number of volunteers involved. This article examines the experiences of volunteers in a programme established as a legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Its results challenge the dominant social inclusion discourse in showing that volunteering provides social inclusion benefits beyond employability by enriching volunteers’ lives and empowering them to make new choices. Recognizing and valuing this would enable ‘social inclusion’ programmes promoting volunteering at major events, such as the 2012 Olympics, to broaden their objectives.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.