Spontaneous Volunteering in Social Crises: Self-Organization and Coordination

Simsa, Ruth; Rameder, Paul; Aghamanoukjan, Anahid; Totter, Marion

doi:10.1177/0899764018785472

Cited by 86 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Even Red Cross and Caritas that had already started first preparations in summer did not expect such a massive influx. Civic engagement increased dramatically, including donations and volunteerism, the latter creating management challenges for CSOs (Simsa et al 2018). Altogether, the immense humanitarian and logistical challenge was managed by a diverse, polycentric network of organizations, including political actors and CSOs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing the Unexpected: How Civil Society Organizations Dealt with the Refugee Crisis

Meyer

Simsa

2018

Voluntas

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The capability of organizations to respond to unexpected events has been investigated from different theoretical angles: organizational learning, improvisation, ambidexterity, resilience, to name but a few. These concepts, however, hardly ever refer to structural characteristics. Against this backdrop, the aim of this paper is twofold. First, based on systems and organizational learning theory, it will theoretically link the characteristics of organizational structure with organizational responses to unexpected external jolts, thus contributing to better understand the reactions of organizations to the unexpected. Second, it will empirically illustrate the relation of organizational structure with organizational responses by investigating how Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Austria reacted to the unexpected inflow of refugees from Central Europe. In 2015, CSOs accepted a wide range of responsibilities and worked together with government entities to provide shelter, catering, and transport for almost one million refugees. Based on participant observations during operation, in-depth interviews (2015 and 2016) and focus groups with decision-makers (2017), we will sketch three longitudinal case studies of organizations with very different structures, concentrating on the processes and operations they developed during the crisis. Our findings show that their responses are closely related to their structure, specifically to the flexibility and the stability of structural elements. Remarkable changes took place in all organizations investigated. Initial responses and first structural changes occurred mainly where the structure already allowed for flexibility. Yet in the long run, the adaptations also impacted the stable structural elements.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing the Unexpected: How Civil Society Organizations Dealt with the Refugee Crisis

Meyer

Simsa

2018

Voluntas

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“…Social movements, particularly workers', women's and environmental movements have long traditions, yet, in the last decades they did not act very provocatively -generally the country may be characterized as a consensus democracy (Dolezal and Hutter 2007). In connection with the refugee crisis of 2015, there was a rise in political civil society activism (Simsa et al 2018). The political framework conditions for civil society organisations in Austria have traditionally been comparatively good.…”

Section: Context and Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Civil Society Capture by Early Stage Autocrats in Well-Developed Democracies – The Case of Austria

Simsa

2019

Nonprofit Policy Forum

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The article presents the results of an empirical study on the current framework conditions for civil society organizations in Austria. The results are linked to findings on how authoritarian governments deal with civil society. The research shows that along with the current government’s gradual process towards right-wing populism and authoritarianism, the general political climate has changed with regard to civil society, possibilities of political participation, and the public financing of civil society organizations. The findings are linked to the concept of civil society capture and reflect the overall wave of autocratization discussed by other authors. The analysis of the gradual process of the development of authoritarian politics in a relatively stable and developed democracy reveals the relevance of the findings for current tendencies in many other countries.

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“…Moreover, this form of coordinated problem solving is based on taking advantage of emerging opportunities. In reference to emergent collaboration between NPOs and emerging volunteers in particular ('spontaneous volunteering under the auspices of a civil society organization'), Simsa et al (2018) also emphasize the 'try it attitude,' i.e., the improvisational character of action of emerging volunteers. Basic elements of coordination-either self-defined or defined by NPOsare necessary for an efficient response, though.…”

Section: Emergent Collaboration As Conceptual Framing Of Disaster Reliefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Capital in Emerging Collaboration Between NPOs and Volunteers: Performance Effects and Sustainability Prospects in Disaster Relief

Kaltenbrunner

Renzl

2019

Voluntas

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Disaster management research increasingly focuses on how to collaborate with emergent volunteers in order to support formal disaster agents in the nonprofit sector (Whittaker et al. in Int J Disaster Risk Reduct 13:358-368, 2015; Strandh and Eklund in J Conting Crisis Manag 26(3):1-9, 2017). In a disaster context, we regard emergent collaboration between these agents as an appropriate approach for structured self-organization (Simsa et al. in Nonprofit Volunt Sector Q, 2018. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0899764018785472) and hence for providing sustainable disaster relief. Our research seeks to identify which factors facilitate such emerging collaborative efforts. Using survey data from Austrian refugee migration in 2015/2016, we examine how social capital components affect the collaborative efforts between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and emerging volunteers on a team level. Data evaluation is based on regression analysis. We provide empirical evidence that social capital components like 'avoidance of misunderstanding' and 'interaction frequency' enhance the collaborative efforts between NPOs and emergent volunteers. Furthermore, the study highlights the roles of 'emotional intensity' and 'intimacy' in collaborative disaster relief performance.

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Spontaneous Volunteering in Social Crises: Self-Organization and Coordination

Cited by 86 publications

References 47 publications

Organizing the Unexpected: How Civil Society Organizations Dealt with the Refugee Crisis

Organizing the Unexpected: How Civil Society Organizations Dealt with the Refugee Crisis

Civil Society Capture by Early Stage Autocrats in Well-Developed Democracies – The Case of Austria

Social Capital in Emerging Collaboration Between NPOs and Volunteers: Performance Effects and Sustainability Prospects in Disaster Relief

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