Using Psychological Contract Theory to Explore Issues in Effective Volunteer Management

Taylor, Tracy; Darcy, Simon; Hoye, Russell; Cuskelly, Graham

doi:10.1080/16184740600954122

Cited by 98 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In the case of employees the wage is a major component of this bargain; however, the psychological contract recognises that there are many other rewards from paid work which have different relative importance, for example, the social rewards of interactions with colleagues. The concept has been applied to understanding volunteers in a limited number of cases Fedor 1999, 2001;Liao-Troth 2001;Ralston et al 2004;Smith 2004;Starnes 2007;Taylor et al 2006) and appears to have considerable potential in offering an understanding of volunteering as employment, minus the reward of pay; and the opportunity to relate volunteering research to ''mainstream'' HRM (human resource management). Pearce (1993) compared the expectations of paid workers and volunteers in seven organisations.…”

Section: Using the Psychological Contract To Understand Expectationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taylor et al (2006) Source: Taylor et al (2006) Adhere to professional standards (promises from the employee to the organisation) Volunteers were primarily concerned with doing rewarding work in a pleasant social environment that was able to fit in with their own tight time restrictions'' (Taylor et al 2006, p. 123). A limitation was that it must have been difficult to relate interview content to some of the statements in Table 2 which contain ambiguous words, for example: ''Dress in a professional manner'': ''professional'' meaning different things to different people.…”

Section: The Expectations Of Event Volunteers and Event Managersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Management of Sports Events Volunteers Through Psychological Contract Theory

Nichols

Ojala

2009

Voluntas

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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 ...

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Section: Using the Psychological Contract To Understand Expectationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Expectations Of Event Volunteers and Event Managersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Management of Sports Events Volunteers Through Psychological Contract Theory

Nichols

Ojala

2009

Voluntas

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Section: Commitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taylor et al, 2006;Hilltrop, 1995;Cnaan and Cascio, 1998). Taylor et al (2006) explored the psychological contract as a key to commitment whereby the individual, despite not always having a physical contract, is committed to the cause through a psychological commitment to the ideals of the role. Guest and MackenzieDavey (1994) reported the importance of individuals having 'realistic job expectations' even if they are 'unpalatable', the lack of which is highlighted by Sparrow (1995) as being a key contributor to lower commitment, absenteeism and turnover; a comment reiterated by Rousseau (1990).…”

Section: Commitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managerial and leadership implications of the retained duty system in English fire and rescue services

West

Murphy

2016

IJES

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TitleManagerial and leadership implications of the retained duty system in English fire and rescue services: an exploratory study Purpose: This paper explores the managerial and leadership challenges faced when managing personnel in the retained duty system (RDS) within English Fire and Rescue Services. It examines the key areas of motivation, commitment, culture, relationships, and practical management arrangements.Design/methodology/approach -This exploratory research, using primary and secondary sources, adopted a deductive approach, incorporating questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Findings:The research identified issues agreed upon by both employees and managers, and as well as areas of disparity and conflict. It also highlighted matters that appear to be pivotal to the successful management of a retained duty system, and in particular the importance of how roles are deployed, and managed by senior management, as well as how employees perceive them.

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“…The concept of a psychological contract has been adapted from its usual application to employees to understand volunteering. Examples include: Farmer and Fedor (1999), Kim, et al (2009) Taylor et al (2006), Thompson and Bunderson (2003) and Vantilborgh, et al (2011). A transactional contract focuses on short-term, monetizable exchange of obligation and entitlements (Rousseau, 1995).…”

Section: Explaining Volunteering By the Effects Of Values Circumstanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Talking ’bout my generation: generational differences in the attitudes of volunteers at the 2012 Olympic Games

Nichols

Ralston²

2016

Voluntary Sector Review

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This article assesses whether the values underpinning the motivations to volunteer of older and younger people are different. It does this through in-depth interviews with 38 volunteers at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Analysis using the framework of the psychological contract and narrative biographies distinguished between value led and market led motives. An initial coding of interviews showed that older volunteers were more likely to express altruistic values and younger volunteers' motivations were related to improving their employability. However, this age-dichotomy became less distinct as qualitative analysis demonstrated how the older volunteers were also motivated by self-interest in certain ways. In particular, a motivation to express a self-identity as a 'volunteer' led them to continue volunteering despite other rewards not being present. The analysis illustrates the interplay of values, circumstances and experience in influencing motivations to volunteer, and thus the difficulty in making generalisations about differences in values between generations.

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Using Psychological Contract Theory to Explore Issues in Effective Volunteer Management

Cited by 98 publications

References 32 publications

Understanding the Management of Sports Events Volunteers Through Psychological Contract Theory

Understanding the Management of Sports Events Volunteers Through Psychological Contract Theory

Managerial and leadership implications of the retained duty system in English fire and rescue services

Talking ’bout my generation: generational differences in the attitudes of volunteers at the 2012 Olympic Games

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