The Psychological Contract of Volunteer Youth Sport Coaches

Abstract

This study examined the psychological contract of volunteer youth sport coaches to determine the content, variation, and influences to its development. Interviews were conducted with 22 volunteer coaches of team sports, representing different levels of play (recreational, competitive), coaching tenure (novice, experienced), and gender (female, male), who were sampled to account for the potential variation based on these demographic factors. The findings revealed that volunteer coaches possessed both transactional and relational expectations of themselves and their club. Coaches' most frequently cited expectations of themselves were technical expertise (transactional), and leadership (relational), while their most frequently cited expectations of the club were fundamental resources and club administration (transactional), and coach support (relational). Variation was found by different levels of play (recreational, competitive) and coaching tenure (novice, experienced). The coaches' psychological contract was shaped predominately by sources external to the club. Implications for managing the psychological contract of volunteer youth sport coaches and directions for future research are discussed.

The Influence of Volunteer Recruitment Practices and Expectations on the Development of Volunteers’ Psychological Contracts

“…This study has extended our understanding of the relationship between volunteer recruitment practices and the development of volunteers' PC which had not been previously reported in the literature (Farmer & Fedor, 1999;Harman & Doherty, 2014;Hoye et al, 2008;Nichols, 2012). This study may provide organisations with the opportunity to identify and utilise formal recruitment practices that better support both the development of positive volunteer PCs as well as meeting the expectations of volunteers' PCs.…”

“…In a similar vein, a PC represents the understandings held by volunteers regarding promises made between them and their respective NFP organisations (Rousseau & McLean Parks, 1993). Knowing the nature of these respective understandings is important for both volunteers and managers within NFP organisations because they both use their perception to interpret whether the relationship is good or not (Harman & Doherty, 2014). From the perspective of the NFP, it is likely that the simplest of promises made when a volunteer was recruited will be the only ones considered when evaluating the relationship (Nichols & Ojala, 2009).…”

“…Proponents of Rousseau's articulation of PC theory would argue that all the influences on the formation of a PC are dependent on the interactions between a volunteer and the organisation (Farmer & Fedor, 1999;Kim et al, 2009). In contrast, others argue that volunteers' previous experiences with other NFPs or employers will influence the formation of their expectations and thus also ultimately the nature of the PC developed by volunteers with their organisation (Harman & Doherty, 2014;Vantilborgh et al, 2011). This exploratory study therefore sought to examine the influence of volunteer recruitment practices as well as the influence of volunteers' prior volunteering experiences on the development of volunteers' PCs, particularly as the relationship between volunteer and organisation is generally entered into freely, without the need for paid employment driving the engagement between individuals and organisations.…”

Managing Student Volunteers for Mega Events: Motivation and Psychological Contract as Predictors of Sustained Volunteerism

“…With its grounding in social exchange theory, PC, defined by Rousseau (1995) as the informal reciprocal agreement of a work environment from the individual's perspective, is a concept useful for explaining the relationship between an individual and an organization. Many scholars applied PC theory to exploring volunteers' motivation, performance, perceived support, satisfaction, and behavioral intention because it provides a valuable framework for examining the work environment and understanding volunteers' contributions (Accadia & Walker, 2009;Farmer & Fedor, 1997;Harman & Doherty, 2011;Starnes, 2007). Liao-Troth (2005) presented two interesting studies using a PC approach and found that agreeableness and emotional stability were related to the relational PC.…”

Motivation, Satisfaction, and Retention of Sport Management Student Volunteers

“…The pivotal role of sport volunteers as social capital for the viability of the sport system has been acknowledged and studied by a plethora of academic re-searchers during the past decade (Bang & Ross, 2009;Harman & Doherty, 2014;Kim, Trail, Lim, & Kim, 2009;Peachey, Bruening, Lyras, Cohen, & Cunningham, 2015;Reeser, Berg, Rhea, & Willick, 2005;Strigas & Jackson, 2003). The nature of these studies varies, with some emphasis on event volunteerism (e.g., Kim et al, 2009), and others are executive or coaching volunteer roles (e.g., Harman & Doherty, 2014). Whatever the nature of the context, volunteers are an important element to various sporting endeavors because they provide sport managers with the ability to offer and sustain events, as well as expand the quantity, quality, and diversity of a sport organization's services (Strigas & Jackson, 2003).…”