Editorial

Abstract

The dynamics of employment relations and HRM in non-profit organizations This special issue aims to build an original body of research and reinforce the foundation for the nascent field of non-profit human resource management (HRM) and employment relations. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are defined by their mission (Drucker, 1992;Quarter, 1992). Thus, individual employees often perceive their relationship with the organization in terms of the mission and values that attract them to each non-profit (Ridder and McCandless, 2010). The processes, dimensions and outcomes of the nexus between employees and the mission play out mainly through employment relations and HRM. Research suggests that employment relations in NPOs are not only uniquely contextual due in part to the mission of the organization but also that this relationship is particularly multidimensional combining elements of social exchange, social movement, meaningfulness and strategy (Akingbola, 2013a;Bailey and Madden, 2015;Brown and Yoshioka, 2003;Cunningham, 2016). The nexus between employment relations and the mission is also likely to be constantly evolving in order to align with change in the operational environment.Moreover, NPOs are inherently complex, labour intensive and dynamically intertwined with their external environment in more ways than organizations in other sectors. The social and emotional transaction nature of non-profit services emphasizes the complexity of these organizations and the critical importance of employee labour (Akingbola, 2015;Resnick and Menefee, 1993). Work in NPOs is inherently labour intensive because their employees are often not distinct from the services of the organization (Akingbola, 2013b;Brunt, 2016). Due to the social and emotional interactions that underlie these jobs, employees and volunteers are the core asset of the non-profit (Kim, 2005;Light, 2003). Employees are integral to the service delivery, management and performance of nonprofits (Baluch, 2012).On the link with the environment, Akingbola (2013a) noted that there are three sources of resources and capabilities of NPOs: structural, institutional and values, all of which are embedded in the unique system-level and mission interaction of nonprofits (Baum and Oliver, 1991;DiMaggio and Anheier, 1990;Hansmann, 1980). Although these characteristics are evident in the systems and processes of the organization, it is perhaps in the domains of employment relations and HRM that these characteristics and their consequences are particularly least understood.The systems, processes and outcomes that underlie and drive workplace relations are therefore not merely the contextual and institutional factors, they are central to the fundamental characteristics of non-profit HRM. The system-level interactions in the contextual environment (Colbert, 2004) coupled with the expectations of the institutional setting (Baum and Oliver, 1991) likely combine the core elements that could drive employment relations and HRM in NPOs. This suggests that managing the non-profit wor...

Job stress and employee outcomes: employment practices in a charity

“…Work in charities is inherently labour intensive both physically and emotionally. This is not only because of the social and emotional interactions that underlie care provision (Baines, 2009;Charlesworth et al, 2015), but also paid staff are close to their 'clients' and feel intensely the importance of their mission-based employment (Akingbola et al, 2020;Baluch, 2017). Unsurprisingly, work-based stress has increased as a result of mission-drift due to the substitution of business goals for the quality of service provision.…”

“…With the retreat of state welfare in the 1990s in Britain, NPOs were encouraged to fill the welfare gap through market competition. As a result, they have become more market-facing and business-like (Akingbola et al , 2020; Maier et al , 2016). This sector has seen the emergence of corporate structures (King, 2017; Diaz and Rees, 2020); consumerism (changed attitudes of beneficiaries and funders, Lorimer, 2010; Young, 2020); and commodification (commercialization of NPOs' activities and output, Logan and Wekerle, 2008; Young, 2020).…”

“…As the chair of the Charity Commissioners stated this sector has seen "aggressive fundraising practices, exploitation of vulnerable people, and single-minded pursuit of organizational growth" (Third Sector, 2018). This may have a fundamental impact on employee relations, which remains under-researched (Akingbola et al 2020;Maier et al 2016).…”

“…There has been a traditionally distinctive set of employee relations in this sector based on the predominance of a shared commitment to the charity's mission. This differentiates it from mainstream instrumental work relations (Akingbola et al , 2020; Ridder and McCandless, 2010). Furthermore, charitable NPOs can prioritize mission over financial performance since they are not obliged to deliver dividends to investors (Cooper et al , 2020).…”

“…Findings from this research are intended to contribute to the understanding of contemporary employee relations with a changing workforce. We hope to shed light on the “significant gap in our understanding of the link between employment relations and mission” (Akingbola et al , 2020, p. 1046), and answer the call to explore human resource management (HRM) in the non-profit charity sector (Cooper et al , 2020; Kellner et al , 2017; Maier et al , 2016).…”